Something like this then? These are for flopper stoppers only though.
Do they work? Be honest and not just because you spent the money.
Something like this then? These are for flopper stoppers only though.
Something like this then? These are for flopper stoppers only though.
Something like this then? These are for flopper stoppers only though.
Any idea of the cost to ad this type of equipment ok it is made for use "on the way" but it must also work at anchor .
We installed the Magma system last season and use all the time in rolly or exposed anchorages. It works surprisingly well and stows into a medium size dock box on deck. I was pleased given we're at 33 tons (more when full) as it really slows the roll down signficantly.
A friend has paravanes on a KK42 which they use underway and then switches the fish out for floppers on anchor. He swears by this system and given he crosses the Columbia River Bar each season I trust his perspective.
We draw 5.5' and have 10% ballast in the keel. We also have a ketch rig that we use for steadying (more than most trawlers but far less than the same size motorsailor) which works well in beam conditions. Long term plan is to add paravanes.
are you deploying on both sides or just one?
Any idea of the cost to ad this type of equipment ok it is made for use "on the way" but it must also work at anchor .
Do they work? Be honest and not just because you spent the money.
Yeah, something exactly like that. But maybe in a beefed up form (and with the ability to angle upward while in use) to allow use with paravanes.
Yes they work. I had them before - old school 4" diameter spinnaker poles that were heavy and ungainly. So during my refit, I replaced them with lighter 3" poles with much easier to use fittings at a total cost of around $3k. Once set, the old and new ones are functionally equivalent. So yea, in my opinion they worked well enough to justify upgrading them. They really attenuate the oscillation.Do they work? Be honest and not just because you spent the money.
I am looking for something like that. Are they commercially available or did you have them made?
If custom, how long are the poles and what type of "fish" do you use?
Thanks,
Rob
At-anchor stabilization. There are two choices. Seakeeper gyro which requires the generator be running (and being a fairly new option, is only found on newer, more expensive boats likely out of your budget). Or "Flopper Stoppers." These are outrigger poles that look like Paravanes but are much less robust because they are only used at anchor, not underway. Paravane rig can be used as flopper stoppers, but not vice versa. Forespar makes a nifty flopper-stopper setup - my boat had spinnaker poles originally that I replaced with the Forespar poles. I have them on both sides of my boat.
I had them fabricated. The flopper stoppers are the same as the Magma Rock'n roll units.
https://www.whitworths.com.au/magma-the-rock-n-roll-boat-stabilizer
They were basically unavailable world-wide for more than 6 months. However, the patent has long expired so I had a pair made for $300. Better than the advertised price, each!
You could use the Magma poles, but others might be better. Some guidance was to have the poles half your beam, so mine are 8' long. If doing again I would likely go a bit longer. Here is a close up pic of the "gooseneck type joint that allows both horizontal and vertical movement.
The best you can do are hydrolic stabilizers, steady sale can help under the right conditions.. avoid a soft chine. Roy FergusonAs I look at trawlers they all seem to have 3.5-4' draft (a plus to someone who has been cruising around on 6'4" draft). I have to wonder about the rocking, rolling and stability of these. They are low draft and high windage with nothing really to stabilize it. Let me tell some observations so you know how I view it (all I can currently base it on whether right/wrong):
My first trip across to Bahamas we were sailing and in sight of a trawler in front of us most of the trip. We watched this boat for hours just rolling back and forth in what we considered pretty mild open water seas. We later asked the guy how his crossing was and he said "It SUCKED"
Last week at an anchorage I met up with some ex-sailors on a 44' DeFever that they had "fitted" out for "comfort". It had a 6' draft and stabilizers (the ones on poles that have the plates, don't know what those are called). At anchor they rolled around just as much as us. A few days ago they were next to us in what turned out to be a terrible anchorage for rolling due to the surge. They were rolling just a much as all the sailboats and like me were pulling up anchor a first light to get out.
So what should I look at far as type and design to reduce this issue in a trawler? It didn't seem to me that the 6' draft made any difference at anchor. Are those pole type stabilizers and trawler sails really of use?
I am sure I am asking a loaded question because far as trawler go I don't enough to ask a more specific one.
Or is this just something you have to put up with and try to plan around?
thanks
Rob - Insequents setup is similar to the Forespar setup I used. If you don't mind the look, the H-Frame setup Simi pictures in Post 46 are much easier to deploy. Having a free end can be a bit ungainly and requires an additional topping line to triangulate the pole. I simply did not want the aesthetics but functionally, Simis setup is better. Easier/cheaper to fabricate too I'd imagine.Hi Brian,
Three more questions on your flopper stoppers.
1. Do you mind if I copy your hinge assembly?
2. Could you supply the wall thickness and diameter of the poles?
3. Do you have a photo of how the lines attach to the end of the poles?
Thanks,
Rob
Hi Brian,
Three more questions on your flopper stoppers.
1. Do you mind if I copy your hinge assembly?
2. Could you supply the wall thickness and diameter of the poles?
3. Do you have a photo of how the lines attach to the end of the poles?
Thanks,
Rob
We use two flop stoppers at anchor off our midship cleats……...
Can you describe or post a pic of your flop stops? How much improvement, say percent wise, over not deploying them?
Thanks
I have a Defever 49 and she does like to rock and roll on anchor or even in the marina when it is windy. So we went searching for the right stabilizers and yes, they had to work underway and on anchor.
Problem of course is that a trawler travels at low speed, which makes the stabilizers less effective.
Peter wrote
And I have to agree with the gyro's, they are no option. They guzzle electricity, take up an enormous amount of space and the bearings need to be changed basically every 3000 - 6000 hours.
Flopper stoppers would be nice, but in order to install that I basically have to reconfigure the whole boat, not really an option.
So, in comes option nr 3 and that is electrical fins that can rotate 360 degrees, which work both underway and on anchor. After speaking with almost all suppliers of stabilizers I finally decided on CMC Stabilizers. Their system requires the least amount of additional equipment on board, no hydraulics and if you would hit the fins on something (rocks, ground etc) the fins will just shear off and can be replaced easily. There is no metal shaft sticking through them.
Officially the Stab 20 would fit our boat, but after seeing an episode of MV Oloh on Youtube and after talking to them (thanks guys for the kind advice) I decided to go for one size larger, the Stab 25.
They will be installed this summer and we will put them immediately to the test. That period of the year is the time of the Meltemi winds, which can cause very rough seas in a matter of minutes (highly unpredictable).
Not that we plan to go out in that weather, but if we do get caught we should be fine. Normally we won't go out in weather that you will find in Deadliest Catch, so we should be fine. Also spoke with some users of the Stab series and they love the system.
So, am looking forward to see them installed, space has been made available and I will document the whole installation process.
These look really interesting and more compact with potentially less to break then a hydraulic system. What do the costs look like if you don’t mind me asking?