The photos and text below provided by Mark Richardson, "Somewhere" (Tanzer 26, Sail #572).

When we were considering the purchase of a Tanzer 26, near the top of my wife Jan’s “must have” list was an anchor roller.  “No problem”, I said. “There’s lots of room to add one.”

Well, we bought Tanzer 26 #572 and re-christened her “Somewhere” (as in West Side Story, not over the rainbow).  I began the re-fitting and upgrading process through the fall, winter and spring.  Every once and awhile, I would pause from some other, more urgent job, to stare at the bow and wonder how I was going to squeeze an anchor roller and platform in amongst the forestay fitting, nav lights, stanchion bases and mooring chocks all crowded onto that tiny little flat space.  I studied this spot for months.  No bright ideas emerged. I thought I could possible squeeze in a roller,  but…..

Launch day came and went - without a roller.  I had decided that I wanted to add a small platform for the roller, but still, how do I get the roller in around all the fittings?  I didn’t want to add a platform that would detract from the appearance of the boat, so no big constructions would be possible. I spent a lot of time looking at other boats that have solved this problem – some elegantly, some not so.

Then the light came on.  If I made a simple, flat platform the width of the deck at the point where it becomes flat at the bow,  I could relocate the stanchion bases outward by shortening the stanchions slightly. The nav the lights could then move outboard as well and I would have lots of space for the roller!   To not end up being to boxy in appearance, I would taper the sides slightly for about 1/3 of the length. If the platform did not extend forward  beyond the pulpit, it would not look out of place. It only took me 8 months to come up with this simple ‘solution’. 

The diagram (to be posted soon) shows the shape of the finished platform.  It is constructed of 2” Honduras mahogany (dressed to 1 ½) . The width was obtained by dowelling and edge-gluing two pieces together.  The rectangular opening around the forestay is offset to one side to allow space to slip a clevis pin in from one side.

The platform is bolted through the deck and secured with four 3/8” stainless steel bolts.  Don’t forget to use a good sized backing plate under the deck .

After three seasons and many nights spent at anchor the platform and roller have really paid off.  If things get really wild though, I would remove the rode from the roller and bring it back on deck to relieve the extra pressure that results from the leverage of the platform over the bow. As for the appearance, I now think a T26 without a platform looks odd!  We just wish there were more of them cruising with us on Georgian Bay.