Bow Roller Material?

[Goldie]

I need to replace my bow roller after another boat (trying to moor up downwind on an alongside pontoon ) hit my anchor hard enough to turn it into a cold chisel and split my existing roller. What material is best to look for please? Acetal? Delrin? Something else? What’s the difference?

I will need a length of 110mm length x 100mm diameter, preferably in white. Any recommendations for suppliers greatfully received.

Thank you.

 

[KompetentKrew]

I thought @GHA made a thread on this subject earlier this year, but I'm unable to find it.

I found this instead though, if it's helpful: Choice of material for anchor roller

 

[DinghyMan]

A lot of bow rollers are made from Nylon on a cost/performance basis

We make them from nylon, acetal, PET, brass, and stainless

Best bet for small pieces of plastic is Direct Plastics | Engineering Plastics | Large Stocks In All Sizes check their offcuts section

 

[MontyMariner]

I used Delrin rod for my replacement sheet blocks.
Delrin Rod | Direct Plastics Limited

 

[vyv_cox]

Mine is acetal, of which Delrin is one tradename.

 

[justanothersailboat]

Acetal is afaik a family of related products of which Delrin is both a trademark and a specific kind. As far as I know, any of them is not a bad material for bow rollers and the differences are unlikely to matter in this application. I've made them from acetal in the past but not for my own boat yet! Delrin is expensive ordered new, but is used enough industrially that if you search for "bar ends" you can usually get a chunk just right for a bow roller at not too much expense.

Mine, and I suspect a lot of OEM ones of a certain age, is high molecular weight polyethylene and I am not sure I would recommend that... because it shifts a bit under pressure, so ends up with chain-shaped marks in it. I am also a bit skeptical of nylon because it expands when wet, so either you have to have a roller that is a loose fit when dry, or risk it becoming stuck and then wearing uneven. But people seem to get away with it.

 

[rogerthebodger]

Whatever you use have 2 or 3 made as spares for when it breaks again

 

[doug748]

Mine are brass.

 

[justanothersailboat]

Whatever you use have 2 or 3 made as spares for when it breaks again

Does that really make sense? they seem to last for ages barring unlikely disasters.

 

[rogerthebodger]

Does that really make sense? they seem to last for ages barring unlikely disasters.

It's the unlikely disasters that I am referring to (s**t happens) when you are far from home

I subscribe to murphy's law at all time

As in if you have a spare, it will not break

 

[Daydream believer]

Acetal is 60% the price of many alternatives

 

[geem]

It's the unlikely disasters that I am referring to (s**t happens) when you are far from home

I subscribe to murphy's law at all time

As in if you have a spare, it will not break

Mine are 316 s/s. Original to the boat. 44 years old

 

[DinghyMan]

Acetal is 60% the price of many alternatives

And Nylon(s), PET, HDPE, etc., are even cheaper

 

[Goldie]

Thanks all, and especially for the steer to Direct Plastics .

 

[Ian_Edwards]

Slight thread drift.
Can you used a wood turning lathe and chisels to shape any of the plastics mentioned in this thread?
I have an old wood turning lathe and a full set of chisels, and two bow rollers that need replacing.
Winter project?

 

[oldgit]

Bought a large bow roller from "Temu" , a fraction of the price of any UK supplier. £15.00
Took about 10 days to turn up.
A really solid heavy old lump with two ball bearings moulded in, rather than the original with the bolt running directly on the Nylon.
60 304 Bearing Roller Nylon Wheel - Temu United
Used my existing bolt.

 

[justanothersailboat]

Slight thread drift.
Can you used a wood turning lathe and chisels to shape any of the plastics mentioned in this thread?
I have an old wood turning lathe and a full set of chisels, and two bow rollers that need replacing.
Winter project?

I don't know, I've not tried. But I've successfully used handsaws (ok), wood chisels (with difficulty) and a block plane (quite easy) to shape acetal when nothing else was available. So it is not fundamentally untackleable with wood tools like, say, steel is... woodturning it might well be possible with great care.

In metal lathe turning, stringy unbroken acetal swarf tangling things can be a pain and you need to take care to manage it. Not sure if that would be better or worse on a wood lathe.

If attempting this I'd buy a cheap offcut as a trial piece (ebay "acetal bar end" etc) to find out if I could do it safely before giving myself the pressure of actual parts to finish.

 

[rogerthebodger]

Slight thread drift.
Can you used a wood turning lathe and chisels to shape any of the plastics mentioned in this thread?
I have an old wood turning lathe and a full set of chisels, and two bow rollers that need replacing.
Winter project?

Yes you can just ensure your chisels are sharp. I have both a metal cutting lathe and a wood lathe and have used both at different times to turn various plastics

 

[DinghyMan]

Slight thread drift.
Can you used a wood turning lathe and chisels to shape any of the plastics mentioned in this thread?
I have an old wood turning lathe and a full set of chisels, and two bow rollers that need replacing.
Winter project?

With care - Yes, use really sharp HSS tools or better still carbide inserts, router cutters make good tools to plastics

You cant realistically sand most plastics but given what they are for that shouldn't be an issue

To prevent long string chips you need to turn your feeds and speeds up to the max on most plastics, Acetal, Delrin, and PET will chip nicely, its like snow and goes everywhere

 

[Daydream believer]

Bought a large bow roller from "Temu" , a fraction of the price of any UK supplier. £15.00
Took about 10 days to turn up.
A really solid heavy old lump with two ball bearings moulded in, rather than the original with the bolt running directly on the Nylon.
60 304 Bearing Roller Nylon Wheel - Temu United
Used my existing bolt.

But did not the OP specify 110 * 100? Making that link pretty much irrelevant for the OP