The Islander 36, like most boats, has a pulpit and it’s the bit of the design that really gets up my nose. Of course, I really should add that in 90% of boats I see, the pulpit is problematic at best.
So, why don’t I like pulpits? For starters, they are part of the the lifeline system which, in general, is a pretty piss-poor way of keeping folks onboard and mostly provides a false sense of security. On Loose Moose 2, we took Phil’s advice and did not install lifelines and are none the worse for wear. To be honest the only real advantage of lifelines, for me at least, is that they make a great place to hang out the laundry.
On the Islander, the pulpit makes using ground tackle a pain in the butt if you’re using more than a single anchor or need to change to another anchor type. Seriously, in getting ready for TS Ernesto I began to think that the only solution was catheads; which, after thinking about it, is not such a bad idea. The main problem with the existing pulpit is that you’re forced to go around it as there is no way to put a 44-pound anchor, 100-feet of chain, and 200-feet of warp though it. Thus forcing one to jump through any manner of hoops to get the ground tackle into the roller so it can be deployed.
The thing about ground tackle is it really has to be simple and deployable when the excrement has made contact with those rotating blades.
I expect that sooner rather than later, the pulpit will find itself on shore as part of landfill or cannibalized for some other use like a trebuchet which would be a lot more useful than a pulpit.
I have a schooner with a sprit and anchor handling is a little more involved. I have read about the use of catheads but I haven’t been able to find any good description of how exactly the whole process works. Do you have any references for this?
Ooo! I vote trebuchet!!
I can’t remember where I read it, but this technique works very well (the author called it his hurricane set):
For a ‘hurricane anchor’ attach a second anchor (storm anchor) with a shot of chain to your primary’s crown and use them in line. The inboard anchor holds the main load until it drags the chain taut. After that, the two work together with the ouboard chain flat along the bottom (zero tendency to ‘pull’). In case of the inboard anchor getting pulled, it acts as a catenary weight for the outboard one. One step further is a largish fender attached to the system between bow and inboard anchor (resists primary straightening).
We’ve used this two anchor system several times when caught in an exposed anchorage, and it works great. The float, too, separately or in the hurricane config… it’s less handling and retrieves easily.
This can help avoid pulpit chaos (If you ended up keeping it) as a single ‘bower’ is in the roller, while you can attach the chain led over the rails and launch the outboard anchor from the side deck.
Downside is that it can complicate the situation when yahoos drag down on you!