Stabiliser - "Rock'n'Roll" Magma

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Stabiliser - \"Rock\'n\'Roll\" Magma

One of the biggest improvements we could make to our way of life is to reduce the roll in swell, at anchor. We've used the kedge, sprung from the anchor cable, and experimented with leaving some sail out and all these things work to an extent but they all need to be changed when the wind or swell changes direction. Magma, a well-known US company, markets a product called the Rock'n'Roll which is a flap that is rigged from the boom or spinnaker pole and presents a low resistance when falling down through the water and a very high resistance on rising. Obviously it will do something but does it do anything useful or even discernible? Does anyone have any experience of this product?

See http://www.magmaproducts.com/Products/Marine_Products/Stabilizer/stabilizer.html

Many thanks.
 
Re: Stabiliser - \"Rock\'n\'Roll\" Magma

Haven't seen the Magma but have used a home made 'flopper-stopper' with some success, works on same principle you describe. Liveaboards have been using the home made jobbies for yonks.
 
Re: Stabiliser - \"Rock\'n\'Roll\" Magma

We had fair success with large containers either filled with sea water or fresh water, hung off the boom and pole. But the best solution was always a kedge out the back to point you in to the swell. The weights had to be set up just below the surface so if you rolled they would start to lift out.
 
Re: Stabiliser - \"Rock\'n\'Roll\" Magma

Yep, putting a kedge out to hold her head-to-swell is definitley the best, and easiest. It's why we have a proper stern anchor locker and the kedge hooked on the pushpit. It's instantly and simply deployed so is used a hell of a lot!
 
Re: Stabiliser - \"Rock\'n\'Roll\" Magma

Very interesting that you have had such success with a stern anchor to stop rolling.

How do you go about setting them, please?
 
Re: Stabiliser - \"Rock\'n\'Roll\" Magma

Depending on which way the wind is pushing the boat, the kedge is set up to pull the boat around whichever way is best to face the swell but in some cases have the wind on the beam. The kedge can end up being about 45 degrees off dead astern, and the mooring bouy or main anchor is also pulling at simliar angles. We usually lay the kedge in the dinghy, (set it up so that it is hanging over the side of the dinghy so you just release a tripping line to drop it, dont try and lft it over the edge unless its a very small one)

In some moorings I would come in drop the kedge and then pick up a mooring bouy and winch the stern round so that we faced the swell.

It definately makes for a comfortable nights sleep, and stops wine bottles falling over in the cockpit.
 
Re: Stabiliser - \"Rock\'n\'Roll\" Magma

Hi Pops,

Yep, I should think that would be fine. I also carry an FX16 as one of my reserve anchors and have only used it twice, though I know from friends who use them regularly, that they are excellent.

It's a super size for a kedge on your boat, but make sure you have an adequate (I suggest around 40 feet) length of chain followed by up to 50 metres of Anchorplait or similar. The chain is needed for it's weight and ability to reduce the swing of the stern (by friction on the seabed) and the Anchorplait makes deployment of the system much lighter and easier to handle. This is particularly so where the kedge is deployed from a dinghy. FWIW we often deploy the kedge first, letting it pay out itself as we move forward to set the bower.

The long length of Anchorplait is also used (on our boat) not only for when we're anchoring in deeper water, but also for securing the stern to rocks/trees etc in the Med/Caribbean. In short a very useful bit of string!!

Tigawave has given an excellent description of the way to use the kedge but, as with so many things in sailing, using the 'system' regularly, will improve your technique, confidence and comfort substantially. To that extent, I believe that it's worth setting up the kedge system in a proper, 'permanent' manner, so that it's quick and simple to use. That way, you WILL use it!!

It really does work Pops, but you may have to advise those anchored near you, that you won't swing very far if the wind direction changes. In our experience, most understand this, and it's by no means unusual to see these boats deploying their own kedges soon after!!

Hope this helps,

Cheers Jerry
 
Re: Stabiliser - \"Rock\'n\'Roll\" Magma

I have one of those home made flopper stoppers and it works but never completly. It would have to be much larger than about half a metre by three quaters of a metre to have more effect on my shallow hull which rolls like a pig when the wave period matches the hull. Ideal conditions for the flopper stoppers to break the cycles of amplified rolls.

Give it a try if you hull is a rolly one.
 
Re: Stabiliser - \"Rock\'n\'Roll\" Magma

Thanks, Kilter. Roll is probably the number one issue for cruising liveaboards and using the kedge isn't the whole answer as you have to keep moving things around when the wind/swell change.
 
Re: Stabiliser - \"Rock\'n\'Roll\" Magma

Hi Lemain!

"".........using the kedge isn't the whole answer as you have to keep moving things around when the wind/swell change. ""

Yes, that's true to an extent, though in our experience, it is (almost) always the wave/swell that causes the rolling rather than the wind. So unless you're anchoring in one place for a couple or more days, a change of wind direction over athe short term is unlikely to substantially change the wave pattern much, and the swell hardly at all, unless of course, the wind speed increases a lot.

But is has happened, and we have had to re-set the kedge occasionally (usually by dinghy) to ensure a good nights sleep. It's one of the reasons we use a chain/rope combination to make that task easier!!

Regards Jerry
 
Re: Stabiliser - \"Rock\'n\'Roll\" Magma

Hi Jerry, I still need to find the right way for my boat; the boat has a huge windage due to a large spray canopy/ sun shield so it takes a heck of a lot of force to keep the bow off the wind. I have a small winch on the stern but it's not really man enough for anchor tackle. The Danforth kedge holds like a limpet in the mainly sand we have around here and I have to recover it by bringing it up over the bow, using the windlass - the problem is getting enough force on the line from the stern.

In the sorts of wind we have experienced, the kedge warp needs to go off at 45 degrees to the stern - it would not work well simply moored between two anchors laid along the line you want to lie on.
 
Re: Stabiliser - \"Rock\'n\'Roll\" Magma

Jerryat

Thanks once again for your useful tips. I already have 15m of chain on the Fortress, and can stick any length of anchorplait on top of that.

I am considering a third anchor too, just to feel good in rougher anchorages. Main bower at the mo is a Delta, oversized for our boat, and am thinking of yet another Fortress, also oversized, for second bower. I have read that the Fortress is a soperb anchor, but not really tried it yet.

Thanks chum

Pops
 
Re: Stabiliser - \"Rock\'n\'Roll\" Magma

Hi Pops,

Yes, it is difficult to know which way to jump when selecting anchors for long term cruising 'cos you come across so many different bottoms. FWIW, on our 32 footer, we have two identical bower anchors - 35lb CQR's (50m and 30m of 8mm chain + 50m Anchorplait), a Fortress FX16 (20m + 50m anchorplait as a back-up to those (God forbid we ever need it!!) and a 7.5kg Bruce kedge, details as before.

We also have a small folding jobby for the dinghy, but that doesn't count.

We've only used both CQR's on three occasions, not because we were dragging, but because it's seamanlike (IOHO) to prepare things beforehand, not wait until it happens in the hope 'it'll go away'!!

We also sleep a lot better too, never having dragged anywhere.

Personally, I'm not totally convinced about the Fortress anchors and prefer to see some weight down there, but that's to say they're not effective. It's just that I'm old fashioned I suppose. I think in your position Pops, I'd back up the Delta with a Bruce or CQR (or even another Delta - super anchors) of a similar weight to your Delta, rather than another Fortress. I know these are heavy compared to the ali ones, but as I said, weight gives me confidence.

We reckon our 2 CQR's (70lbs) on a relatively lightweight boat aren't going anywhere, and so far that's proven to be the case.

As always, it's a personal opinion and others will no doubt put forward other ideas.

Cheers Jerry
 
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