R-23 Rocna 10kg (22 lbs) Anchor upgrade

[RnRTOW23]

Has anyone added a Rocna 10 to their R-23? Was a new roller or modification needed? Based on Rocna specs and current stock claw anchor measurements it looks like it will fit. Thanks in advance for any advice.

 

[Hamster]

I upgraded my anchor to a Rocna 10 on my R-23. It did work on the existing roller but the factory roller is undersized and the anchor point could dig into the boat. I solved the anchor point by putting a Mantus Anchor Mate onto the roller to keep the anchor off the boat.

But, I still wasn't satisfied with the factory roller. Not only is it undersized, but it is literally sealed between the clam shell and outside of the boat. At some point, that roller will fail and need to be replaced. So, like others, I had a hole cut into the clam shell in the anchor locker, removed the factory roller and installed a new Mantus roller that fit the Rocna 10. The hole in the anchor locker is sealed up with an inspection plate.

To put the new roller on, I installed a piece of 1" teak on the deck to get a level installation. New holes are drilled through and everything is sealed up to avoid water penetration into the anchor locker hatch cover that also secures the windlass. Water penetration there would deteriorate the wood and your windlass could fail. I will post pictures in my gallery.

The R-23 owner from Arizona installed a new roller on top of his existing roller. That avoids cutting into the boat and other issues. That is a good option as well. You can search his gallery for what he did.

 

[RnRTOW23]

Thanks! Going with the anchor mate. I’ll post a pick when I’m done.

 

[Familyguy]

Hi there, I researched the Rocna and the Vulcan (same company). I chose the Vulcan 9 the only modification was I had to move the roller out an inch or so and there was lots of room for that. Love the anchor, does not touch the bow of the boat, even when winching it up.
Good luck!

 

[RnRTOW23]

How did you move roller out? Did you have to drill another hole for roller bolt? Can you post a photo?

 

[Familyguy]

Just drilled another hole, can’t see the original hole either as it is hidden by the roller. I can take a picture on Friday.
Also, ROCNA/Vulcan post 1;1 scaled drawings that you can print off and transfer to a piece of cardboard then put it in position to check out the fit. So I knew before I purchased that it was going to be close on weather I would need to move the roller.

 

[RnRTOW23]

Thanks look forward to the pic.

 

[Familyguy]

OK I added a picture to my albums (could not figure out how to attach the picture directly to this post)
Have a look, you CAN see the original hole for the roller

 

[Water Bill]

I wanted to replace the Bruce anchor that came with my R-23 with a 15 lb Manson Boss anchor. In order to keep the tip of this anchor from contacting the stainless steel guards on the boat I modified the existing bow roller. I added a pair of 0.071” x 2” x 8” 14 Ga mirror finish T-304 stainless steel extensions from Online Metals. I bolted them on each side of the existing roller with two bolts on each side. One bolt through a new hole and the other bolt through the original roller hole. I drilled holes in the extension for the roller and the hoop. As you can see in my photo album I have about an 1 1/2” clearance from the guard plate. If I was to do this again I would add another inch to the extension just to gain another inch of clearance.

 

[thetugisthedrug]

OK I added a picture to my albums (could not figure out how to attach the picture directly to this post)
Have a look, you CAN see the original hole for the roller

Hey Familyguy, Almost 5 years later, how's the bow roller holding up with Vulcan 9? More importantly, how do you like the Vulcan 9?

 

[az9133bm]

We recognized that our solution had to involve the existing factory RT roller. There is no way to access the fasteners without cutting an access hole in the anchor locker. We were tempted to do that (inaccessible areas on boats...seriously!?) until we came across the Mantus Bow Rollers.

The beauty of the Mantus bow rollers is that they have a flange with a slot to accommodate their Anchor Mate system, below the base of the unit (see diagram below). We merely used this flange as a bracket to thru-bolt to the RT roller. We did drill two holes in the RT roller that lined up with the flange slot for proper positioning on top of the RT roller. We drilled the holes with the RT roller in place (advantages of being a trailer boater!) using a centering drill bit to establish the hole and then a step drill bit to get the size we needed (1/2")

Once we determined the positioning of the Mantus on top of the RT, we took measurements for the teak plank. On our boat it was a 1-1/2" height. We chose 4" wide by 17" long to provide the best surface for mounting the Mantus Bow Roller and for the anchor chain to run. Mounting the plank was a simple process since full access is available in the anchor locker.

We removed the RT Bow Roller's bail and roller. We drilled out the holes for the bail (forward holes) and thru bolted using the "axle tube" of the original roller. In addition, we put a bolt through the holes for the roller (aft holes) for additional rigidity.

The Mantus bow roller comes with the mounting holes pre-drilled; problem is that the forward two holes are unusable (too far forward) so we drilled two new holes about 2-1/4" further aft to align for thru-bolting to the anchor locker below.

Once fully mounted, we believe this provides a surprisingly strong fitment: we retained all the strength of the original system while adding the independent robust mounting of the Mantus system. The new roller is almost 4" forward of where the old roller was giving a lot more room for bigger anchors. Additionally, we were able to use the Mantus Anchor Mate to secure the Mantus M1 13# anchor firmly when housed.

See our photo album for more details

 

[thetugisthedrug]

We recognized that our solution had to involve the existing factory RT roller. There is no way to access the fasteners without cutting an access hole in the anchor locker. We were tempted to do that (inaccessible areas on boats...seriously!?) until we came across the Mantus Bow Rollers.

The beauty of the Mantus bow rollers is that they have a flange with a slot to accommodate their Anchor Mate system, below the base of the unit (see diagram below). We merely used this flange as a bracket to thru-bolt to the RT roller. We did drill two holes in the RT roller that lined up with the flange slot for proper positioning on top of the RT roller. We drilled the holes with the RT roller in place (advantages of being a trailer boater!) using a centering drill bit to establish the hole and then a step drill bit to get the size we needed (1/2")

Once we determined the positioning of the Mantus on top of the RT, we took measurements for the teak plank. On our boat it was a 1-1/2" height. We chose 4" wide by 17" long to provide the best surface for mounting the Mantus Bow Roller and for the anchor chain to run. Mounting the plank was a simple process since full access is available in the anchor locker.

We removed the RT Bow Roller's bail and roller. We drilled out the holes for the bail (forward holes) and thru bolted using the "axle tube" of the original roller. In addition, we put a bolt through the holes for the roller (aft holes) for additional rigidity.

The Mantus bow roller comes with the mounting holes pre-drilled; problem is that the forward two holes are unusable (too far forward) so we drilled two new holes about 2-1/4" further aft to align for thru-bolting to the anchor locker below.

Once fully mounted, we believe this provides a surprisingly strong fitment: we retained all the strength of the original system while adding the independent robust mounting of the Mantus system. The new roller is almost 4" forward of where the old roller was giving a lot more room for bigger anchors. Additionally, we were able to use the Mantus Anchor Mate to secure the Mantus M1 13# anchor firmly when housed.

See our photo album for more details



View attachment 24935

Thanks for the info, that looks like a very solid solution. I know this is an old thread, but great information regarding anchor upgrades. So far, the cleanest and simplest solution I’ve seen for the R 23, is familyguy’s upgrade using the Vulcan. Sorry for the hijack.

 

[Robert]

I recently purchased and installed a Mantus M1 13# on my 2025 R23 per the recommendation from Mantus. I have not used it yet but it appears to fit and does not touch the bow. There is about one inch or so of clearance.