After taking a lot of dimensions from the bow I designed a 1/4 thick plywood template on my computer using PhotoShop only because I work with that particular program a lot. After cutting out the plywood shape I took it back to the boat to dry fit it on the bow. I located the four front mounting holes by drilling up from the holes in the toe rails. (After removing the bolts) Then I drilled two new holes into the toe rail by locating them at the back end of the template. These are the only extra holes I drilled into the toe rail. I wanted to keep the new holes down to a minimum and use the existing toe rails holes to help mount the plate to the bow. As you can see there is a cut out for the jib furler bracket in the center of the plate. The mast was down for some repairs and upgrades when I did this. If you look carefully you can see the red ink outline of the anchor roller and locking line chock.

Plywood template

Here is the template with the parts: Windline URM-4 anchor roller, Windline LC-1 locking line chock and a pad eye. At the bottom of the photo you can see most of the clam shell vent positioned over the future hole area for the anchor rode to pass through the anchor locker door. Note the two screws in the anchor roller, running at an angle, that will pass through the plate and toe rail below. There are also tow holes in the front and two in the back of the roller connecting it to the plate only.

Template and parts

The bow plate and parts mounted to the boat. I had the plate cut by a local metal shop that does work in stainles steel. The plate is 1/4 thick and was cut with a machine that uses a very high pressure water jet!! The plate came to me with a mill finish. I polished it off with an orbital sander and very fine grit paper. Took a while to do but it looks like it belongs to the boat.

Bow plate and parts

Here Im anchored in the parking lot. The rode ties off to the starboard cleat after it passes through the locking chock line. Hole int the anchor locker door was not cut yet in this photo.

Tied off

In this side view you can see the rode tied off to the starboard cleat and you can make out the white spacers between the bow plate and the toe rail. The spacers are about 1/8 thicker than the toe rail is high to keep the plate from touching and crushing the toe rail itself. Spacers we made from 1/2 and a 3/4 thick TACO marine plastic lumber, screwed together. The six 1/4 diameter mounting bolts pass through the bow plate, the spacers and the toe rail.

Side View

The Fortress F-11 anchor is in place and secured with the locking line chock. The bolt of the chock passes through the eye of the anchor. The anchor chain is laying in between the chock and the pad eye which puts it into position to pass through the hole in the anchor locker which is covered from view by the clam shell vent. The pad eye (besides helping to position the chain) can also be used as an attachment point for a jack line, haul down when a cruising spinnaker is being used or a second securing point for the anchor chain. The plate by itself cost me $167 to have made. The rest of the parts were order on line from a marine supply house.

Everything in place and finished