IP 31 and Rocna anchor

I'm a brand new owner of an IP 31 and member of this association. Does the Rocna anchor with its roll bar fit under the pulpit in the original anchor roller? Looking for a new anchor. The one of I have is Bruce that came with the boat that is too light for Lake Superior.

Thanks for your quick reply. No, the rollers are on the side and my current bruce is under the pulpit. If the rocna won’t work, wondering about a delta.
david hawkinson

I think your roller set up may be different from mine but here is our Rocna bow roller set up

Thanks for the picture. I'm not sure how to upload my picture on this forum...but my bow rollers are on the side of the pulpit and several inches back from the front edge.

Tikkun wrote: Thanks for the picture. I'm not sure how to upload my picture on this forum...but my bow rollers are on the side of the pulpit and several inches back from the front edge.

Here you can download a pattern. Cut it out and paste it to cardboard. Then you can see if it fits your boat. That is what I did before I purchased.
www.rocna.com/product-range/boat-fit

Great idea! I actually looked at this site but did not put 1 and 1 together. Nothing like collaboration! This is a great community. Thanks!

Here are some pictures I took this weekend. Do they help you visualize the rocna 15 on my sprit?
thanks for all your help

david hawkinson

when you have a chance, can you look at my two photo's of the sprit on my IP 31 and see if you still think the rocna will work? Thanks so much

Very interesting, Tikkun.... I've just been scrolling up and down, looking at your setup and the Rocna pix that Emergpa1 put up. 2 concerns that I see - the roll bar on the Rocna may clear the front end of your bowsprit, but I'd bet not by much, and I'm wondering how tall the wing on the Rocna is, and where it will (or will not) fit, under the bowsprit.

If you are somewhere that you can get your hands on a Rocna to test fit, that's probably your best bet.

Other than these comments, I'm clueless. I've got a Bruce, out on the end of the bowsprit. Planning to get a Rocna sometime, but I have absolutely no personal experience w/ them.

Thanks for looking. I'm a bit stymied too! I'm trying to build a model from the pattern on the rocna site...but I would prefer the actual anchor

Tikkun wrote: Thanks for looking. I'm a bit stymied too! I'm trying to build a model from the pattern on the rocna site...but I would prefer the actual anchor

I don't think it will fit. can you add a bow roller to your bowsprit? The attachment is not a big deal. you are just drilling all the way through the bowsprit, buying some large SS bolts, and use some large washers to act as backing plates. or you could take the bow roller to a machine shop so they would have a pattern and have them make a stainless steel backing plate (but the problem with this is your drilled holes will not match the pattern of your bow roller because you cannot get the angle of your drilling exactly right. does that make sense?, if not let me know and i will try to explain and give the solution), or you could make your own out of 1/2 inch teak plank sealed with epoxy.

I agree with you. But I would just like to avoid adding a new bow roller. Rocna is coming out with a version without the roll bar in 1/2 a year-according to their site...and I may wait for that, pending some reviews on how that works compared to the with with the bar.

Makes perfect sense.... My setup is like Emergpa1's except I have 2 bow rollers - one on each side of the forestay. My (only) anchor is currently in the stbd slot. IP sells an enlarged and improved anchor roller setup for the bowsprit (at least I've been told they do. I saw a boat w/ anchor rollers that the fellow told me he had gotten from IP factory. Was a little larger overall and heavier gauge SS.)

I personally wouldn't make it out of teak. If I were going to try to add bow rollers to your boat, I'd place the top half (roller part) on top, mark the holes, and drill as close to perpendicular (both axes) as possible. Then put a piece of plywood or such under, and mark the holes through the holes I had drilled in the bowsprit. That way, the backer-plate holes DO match your bolts. Then have your machine shop cut your backing plate and drill per your pattern. Seal and mount, etc. I don't remember what the bottom of my bowsprit looks like. You might have to deal w/ the top attachment of the bobstay, for instance.

From your pix, it's obvious that your roller was designed to fit the side. It looks to me like there is one on the stbd side, too. Do you think they are through-bolted all the way through the bowsprit? That might complicate things, too - if there are holes (voids) instead of solid material. Nor do I know what the center of the bowsprit is made of. Questions, questions, questions.

But the process of adding bow rollers should be pretty straight-forward - except, again, for the configuration of the backing plates.

Of course, the universal answer to questions like what is the internal composition of the bowsprit is - "Ask the factory." Karsten is full of information, and shares liberally. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Edited to add - sorry, I didn't fully read that you really want to avoid adding a new roller. THAT really makes sense to me.

PlumBob wrote: Makes perfect sense.... My setup is like Emergpa1's except I have 2 bow rollers - one on each side of the forestay. My (only) anchor is currently in the stbd slot. IP sells an enlarged and improved anchor roller setup for the bowsprit (at least I've been told they do. I saw a boat w/ anchor rollers that the fellow told me he had gotten from IP factory. Was a little larger overall and heavier gauge SS.)

I personally wouldn't make it out of teak. If I were going to try to add bow rollers to your boat, I'd place the top half (roller part) on top, mark the holes, and drill as close to perpendicular (both axes) as possible. Then put a piece of plywood or such under, and mark the holes through the holes I had drilled in the bowsprit. That way, the backer-plate holes DO match your bolts. Then have your machine shop cut your backing plate and drill per your pattern. Seal and mount, etc. I don't remember what the bottom of my bowsprit looks like. You might have to deal w/ the top attachment of the bobstay, for instance.

From your pix, it's obvious that your roller was designed to fit the side. It looks to me like there is one on the stbd side, too. Do you think they are through-bolted all the way through the bowsprit? That might complicate things, too - if there are holes (voids) instead of solid material. Nor do I know what the center of the bowsprit is made of. Questions, questions, questions.

But the process of adding bow rollers should be pretty straight-forward - except, again, for the configuration of the backing plates.

Of course, the universal answer to questions like what is the internal composition of the bowsprit is - "Ask the factory." Karsten is full of information, and shares liberally. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Edited to add - sorry, I didn't fully read that you really want to avoid adding a new roller. THAT really makes sense to me.

Good advice PlumBob.
When setting up the template for the backing plate, i start with thin cardboard, and just use the bolts to punch it through, then drill a scrap of plywood. and be sure that fits well. then take that to the machinist. IMO, on the bowsprit since it is so thick, a piece of 1/4 inch teak sealed with thin epoxy, would be sufficient, and a hell of a lot cheaper. Especially if the bow roller doesn't work out. You could always go back and add the SS later.
One thing about drilling for through hull fittings like that, is that if the holes are too far off, or, in other words, if the angle error is too great, your bolts are actually a little sideways. The problem with that is when you put your nuts and washers on, they do not tighten flush to the backing plate. I have had that problem and the thing is that it will leak (or in the case of small bolts like you would use in a handrail, break the bolts). Now leaking is not much of a problem on the bowsprit. BUT, if it were in the cabin it would be. Solution? You then use a rather soft piece of pine. tighten the nuts down well. it will make an impression of the nut and washer and give a flatter surface. Then remove your pine, seal it well with epoxy. Then use that as your backing plate. It ain't pretty, but it works. There is also a way to use that as a mold to create a fiberglass backing plate if need be.

Thank you for all your experience and suggestions. My neighbor across the dock had a rocna 15 and we tried it on the IP with the side rollers. It does not work. I can't bring the break in the shank to the roller-so for it to work, the shank would have to be at a 45 degrees with the bail knocking a few inches back from the end of the pulpit. So, I will wait to see how the bail-less anchor works and if it stands up to the great reviews of the other.

Good to know now. Sorry it's not a fit. Please keep us up to speed as things go along.