Anchor(ing) improvement/ suggestions

[Thornton69]

Looking to do something with my anchor set up and hoping to get some suggestions on what my options are. The boat is being set up for our intended use as mainly fishing with extended overnight trips on the north Pacific coast. I run a couple different anchor lines for this purpose but will eventually go with one. It came with 130' 5/8" line which is the one we use for overnight anchoring. Also have a 500' 1/2" that we use for bottom fishing. We use it at depths from 100-350'. Currently we are using a buoy for pulling and retrieve it by hand. Will a windless handle these long pulls or would it just burn it out?
Now, there is only a cover over a fairly roomy compartment with a cleat and small roller just off the starb side of the nose. It has the usual Sea Ray taper and drop on the deck which can make it really tricky to hang onto while recovering the anchor when things blow up. The chain and anchor really want to beat everything up as well. The deck is sound and a solid platform to work with. Not sure if pulpit is the correct name for it, but would like to add some kind of an extension with a roller setup to help protect the boat and make it safer to work with. Is this something that has to be built from scratch or is there some kind of kits available to work with? Would be nice if it would also have some sort of support for the anchor and the windless option. Cosmetics of it all is important of course too. May just be using the wrong key words but not coming up with much on the searches.
Here's a couple pics of what I am working with. All suggestions appreciated.

 

[dpmulvey]

What is aft of the hatch?

 

[JVM225]

If you want to put an electric windlass up there, you'll need to add a pulpit. We have a pretty nice one on the front of my Uncle's 22' fishing boat that is made of starboard, and it looks pretty good.
We also have a Lewmar electric windlass that works well on that boat.
They key to retrieval with an electric windlass is to not use it to pull the boat, and if you have a long rode out, take it in a little at a time to avoid overheating it and tripping the breaker.
I had a "Good" brand windlass installed on my 300 Sundancer a couple of years ago, and I loved it. It was bullet proof. But it is also more expensive than the Lewmar.

 

[Thornton69]

Thanks for the replies. Don't mind my scratchy lines but marked down some rough dimensions from the bulkhead. It has generous access to the locker from the inside the cuddy as well. I like the idea of a pulpit but am also tossing the idea of just using some sort of bow roller set up. The Danforth style anchor is the most popular around here. Have never used a windless before and have no idea how well they feed longer lengths into the compartment. There is also second access into the cuddy just behind this one. Wondering if reinforcing the deck from the inside and flush mounting another cover into it for a winch mount. Would have it removable for any maintenance. The current hatch has some sort of laminated covering which is delaminating so it requires work anyway.
Look forward to hearing your thoughts.

 

[h_gerry]

An Anchor windlass is a great help and back saver for deploying and retrieving your anchor, especially when long anchor lines are used. The main issue you have with using a windlass is the depth of the anchor locker. The line needs to be able to fall into the compartment and coil on it's own so that it does not bind or twist. Most windlasses will give you the dimensions that must exist to let the anchor line fall below the windlass.

For the 500' line, I don't think there will be anyway that all of that line will fit in the anchor locker. You may want to consider a windlass that has a line drum on it that can be used to assist with retrieval, but ultimately you are still directing the line as the windlass pulls it in.

if you are not looking to add a pulpit, you may want to consider ending a davit, such as the ones made by Good. They can allow the anchor to seat retrieved and have a roller to ease deployment and retrieval. The Good brand ones can be mounted but will extend beyond the bow and pivot when the anchor is lowered. I will try to find a picture and post it for you.

 

[Thornton69]

Locker depth is not something that really crossed my mind as the compartment looks to be surprisingly large. Thanks for bringing that to my attention. There is 18" between the floor and underside of the deck. Will look into winch options and their mounting requirements. Thanks again for the replies and if there is other concerns you think I may be missing, please share.