Anchor roller

[ebb]

Jerry, REALLY appreciate your thoughtful critique.
This especially since we are talking about a specific piece of gear you may have little interest in.

(1) Not much of the 'straight' part of the shank actually sits on the channel surface. There is a slight curve in the shank. And at the end there is a slight bump out where the shackles are pinned. So it really rests on two points METAL to METAL. At the back end and more importantly on the channel bottom where it ends and the cheeks begin. The roller center is 1/8" below the metal. Bad.

This is a great observation of yours, that there should be no metal contact at this wear point in the channel. The roller ( without changing the fairly close tolerances in the design) can be moved up the 3/16" needed to insure the anchor shank - its rather hard edged and narrow shape - is resting on the plastic.
My thoughts are that this is a mistake that as a result of your critique is going to be designed out of existence in the final model. Fantastic!
From the same trailer parts source, flat thick plates and solid dowels of p.urethane are available. The plate can be cut and used in chaffing spots. Dowels can be shaped on a lathe and make rollers of any dimension.

(2) The anchor does wiggle in the width of the roller housing, not easily because of the anchor weight and does not tilt far enough over to the sides to scrape them. imco. Of course it's not possible to do a real metal to metal test, the model being composed of 5min epoxy and 3'16" doorskin and rather fragile.
The anchor shank sits naturally, if a little loosely, in the flat bottom of the V-grooves - but in the center of the rollers. The shank engages both rollers when housed. The fluke doesn't look like it will wander from its location once the shank end is pinned. Once unpinned the Supreme is free to move but its weight will tend to keep the shank/chain/and line in the groove when launching.
When sailing with the anhcor in the roller a couple pieces of foam on each side of the shank should keep the anchor upright and still.
A plus, if this system works, is that the anchor is neutrally housed without tension on the chain or line. Immobilized in the roller the anchor can have other lengths of chain and line attached without problem.

Hauling in the anchor and have it enter the rollers correctly is another kettle - as the anchor could be twisting and turning due to line and chain twist. But maybe that's a problem with all anchor retrievals?
Once the shank reaches the first roller I think the anchor will quiet down. But there is nothing like experience. Or a better idea!!!
The more forward and lower poly roller will get the anchor to turn sooner than a single roller.
It doesn't have turn 90 degrees to get it to start going into the channel. Maybe that also helps the anchor find its position easier as it's pull up and in.
BUT I see what you mean! The anchor dangling from the roller as it enters or leaves is free to hit or scrape the sides of the channel AND ALSO THE LOOP. And the stem of the boat.... I don't know how this is avoided?
Nature of the beast?

Will take a closer look at the tube and loop. This idea generated out of using aluminum for the whole roller assembly - a way to strengthen those long flat ends that might get stressed with a side pull of chain or warp. The polyurethane rollers do all fair-leading - unlike Windline or Kingston models that have an outward bend in the metal cheek pieces. Hate to give up the side pipes and 180 loop in a galvanized anchor roller.
The loop at the moment can be moved up or down. When the sweet spot is found, a method of attachment must be found, maybe a fastening drilled through the pipe and loop. I'm sure
that the loop should removable without too much fuss so that the anchor and gear can be lifted out of its cradle.

Have had a little bit of experience with hot dip galvanizing. The good traditional stuff can take rough handling. Like you expect from the anchor itself. Real hot dip won't readily chip off like you see on some bargain anchors. Constant rubbing in one place is to be avoided. Basically galvanised iron is a forgiving combo. Exposed iron in a scrape or spot will often not rust because of the influence of the surrounding bonded zinc coating.

Imco there will be less problem with a hot dip roller than with stainless or aluminum, both
finicky and undependable.

Most Windline and Kingston anchor rollers are made with single sheet stamping. The roller is designed to avoid welding.
This Supremo Roller housing has to be fabricated. Welded. Because it obviously can't be folded flat. Two ways: weld it up from separate flat shaped pieces.
A second way is to bend the sides and half a channel and weld them together down the middle.

Numbers:
Channel flat from end to the drop roller angle = 14 5/8".
Total length from pipes to end...................... = 19 3/4".
Bottom of cheek to top of channel................. = 7 1/2".
OD width of fitting....................................... = 3 3/16"
Poly rollers are 2 3/4" W with well rounded 3" D ends.
The V-roove bottom has a 1 1/2" D with a flat of 5/8"

An important measure is the apparent clearance from the sharp tip of the Supreme to the stem of the boat when the anchor is housed. This leaves about 10 1/2" inboard to attach the fixture. And is speculative. Nevertheless that leaves little channel to bolt to the deck because half of the roller is bowsprited. The roller might be installed to a side away from the stem - but still too close for comfort.
One solution would be to design a longer channel with a 1/4-5/16" chain link pawl at the end, still keeping the two pin hole bump-up to lock in the anchor shank. Could make the channel 4 or 5" longer which might counter the cantlever effect with more thru-deck attachment.
Longer channel equals more weight.

Many thanks for your thoughts!