EXTENDED BOW PULPIT

[Bob23]

Mates:
   I guess my restless winter hours are coming a bit sooner this year because my brain is cooking up projects for the boat. I'm toying around with extending the pulpit about 1 foot. Thus also having the existing bow rail refabed locally to accomodate. I like the way Hutchins uses the SS piece to attach to the boat, bob stay and forestay but I don't want to get into too much custom fabrication. Your thoughts?
Bob23

[Billy]

I have the new ss pulpit on an older 19 w/out the sprit and it is a love hate. The newer ones are longer and further forward to accommodate the bow sprit which the earlier models don't have. But I haven't made that upgrade.......yet.

I like it and I don't.
typically the fore stay clears the inside of the pulpit by just a few inches. Having the larger pulpit gives you a great place to sit in front of the boat in front of the jib which is a great view. Especially when the dolphins show up!

Just don't fall down in front of the bow!

BUT since I don't have the sprit and incorporated anchor roller I have a pullpit mounted anchor. And I have to reach a little further forward to grab it.

Probably won't be an issue if you have the sprit and roller. But I do think the sprits on the Com-Pacs are a little dinky so if you are going to upgrade the pulpit I would extend the sprit as well.

Which means.....can I have your old one?

Oh, and one more thing....Hutchins has a few old aluminum pulpits in their loft. They used the same rails on the 19s and the 23s. Bet they would get rid of them very cheap.
Don't know if that helps you or not.

Fair Winds!

[brackish]

My thoughts are I ain't touching mine.   It all works well, the anchor fits perfectly and deploys and recovers without hanging or snagging anything, the furler drum turns just right, the anchor roller top feed strap with the addition of a triangle ring works great as the tack attachment point for my asymmetrical spin, I've made a pulpit mast carrier that fits perfectly for trailering, so, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

[Billy]

I agree with Brackish.
But my aluminum stern rail did break. And I upgraded all the rails to SS.

[Bob23]

   Well, Brack- You have a good point and I'm certainly guilt of trying to "improve" almost anything! But my angle is this and correct me if I'm wrong: If I can move the headsail center of effort forward by a foot, wouldn't that lessen the weather helm? The more I look at it, I may be able to have a local friend refab the ss bow pulpit parts and bow rail...I'd build a new wood insert for that's all it really is.
   This is why I always seek advice here before setting out on another boat improvement adventure!
Bob23

[Tim Gardner]

Well Bob,  You may want to play first (and avoid $$$$------->>>>>) with mast rake, and calculate the new center of effort location using (ack!) the science of statics and dynamics.  This would give you the most forward COE the 23 can handle.  The one thing you do not want is a terminal case of lee helm.

'Course, you could just break down & buy an Ida rudder.

Your friendly neighborhood Marine Engineer (not a naval architect)- TG

[NateD]

Won't you need a longer forestay/bobstay? Or at least some way to extended them.

If you could find someway to just extend them you could remove the pulpit and try out the idea with minimal investment.

If you wanted an inexpensive way to extend the pulpit I bet you could just cut off the forward "U" part of the pulpit, put on a couple of slightly angled elbows, some straight pipe, then couple the "U" back on. A few set screws from underneath to hold it all together. It wouldn't take much abuse though.

[Salty19]

Too many complications.  If forestay needs extended much, in goes a new furler foil too. Then the jib luff might be too short. Add bow pulpit, anchor mount, etc it adds up.

Now if this was a cutter conversion it all might be worth it.  

Following your rudder project, we learned the blade was a little thicker than intended, and perhaps the leading edge not as far forward as ideal.  I'm thinking you could make another, thinner rudder with a more forward leading edge to reduce weather helm. Little cost, no other changes needed.  Then use the savings for all those other projects. Like a cutter conversion

[Bob23]

You guys always have a.way of reeling me in and I'm glad I consulted before I cut. I'll keep all this in mind.
bob23

[millsy]

I didn't originally have the pulpit on my older 23.  I added this pulpit (I got it from another 23 owner who was adding a true bowsprit/inner forestay down in C. Florida) and purchased the solid SS bobstay from Hutchins.  I can definitively say that moving the headstay forward helped my helm situation.  Adding a toggle at the lower end of the stay made it sufficiently long.  Bob, I am not sure if you are saying that you don't have any pulpit at all or if if you have one and are planning on extending the length of the original?

The SS bob stay from Hutchins is a beautiful thing.  It's made of heavy SS, and has welded inserts to fit each end.  The down side that I can see is the possibility of bending the bobstay if coming in to a dock at speed, whereas a wire bobstay would tend to act like a spring and absorb the impact.  I suppose that I will try to avoid hitting the dock.

Regards, Chris

[newt]

Bob  I am making a SS bowspirit from my wood one. Very easy. I just can't get out there right now because it is 0 degrees. But it should happen in the next week or two1

[Tim Gardner]

Newt, Newt, Newt, Newt, Newt

Where The Heck Y'all been, Boy?
tg

[Bob23]

To clarify:
   I have a 1985 23/2 with the factory bowsprit. I'm toying with building a new one to extend forward an additional foot. Newt: Always good to hear from you. If you can share any details or photos once the weather warms up a bit, it'll be appreciated and that advice is good for a free pizza and beer if you ever make it out to the east coast!
    I guess I got the idea about this from spending too much time drooling over a Flicka that was on the hard for about 4 years. Sad note- looks like she's been sold or moved or simply vanished. I was always hoping the owner would sell her cheap- she'd been neglected badly for all those years.
Bob23   

[Davo]

Here's a better side view of mine which I know is not factory, especially since I had to modify the bow pulpit to be able to install it.  With this and the cutter rig I have no significant weather helm at all using the stock slab rudder.

[Salty19]

Well, after seeing that pic Davo, I'm afraid I'm going to have to retract my early statements to Bob23! I think you should go for it, Bob!

Looks great!