Stability on anchor

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echunda said..
I hope someone can help.

I have a Gilcraft 20 on a mooring at Mordialloc and it's a great boat however the slightest ripple would make the boat rock and roll. At no stage is it unsafe however it's not comfortable and with the wife and young son in the boat, it's not fun.

Does anyone know what I can do to tame it down.

I'm handy on the tools but don't want to modify the hull design.

Any advise would be greatly appreciated.

google "flopper stopper" but its a small light boat so I think that it come part and parcel with a lot of rock and roll.

also if the tide is running different from the swell direction making you flop around then a snubber placed on the anchor rode way down the rode and then with the snubber put it on the winch and pull the boat around into the swell direction. I hope that makes sense. maybe someone with more experience might be able to explain it better than me.


but really a 20ft boat is always going to flop around in my opinion.

I'm thinking this is a power boat, not a sailer, ergo, no mast or boom.

Thanks for that, and Cisco our almost there. It's a cruising motor boat without the sail.
They are however the same design, just no mast or boom.


I might try the snubber to keep it into the wind. I looked into the flopper stopper but it's a little too complex.

You could try emailing the guys at Burke - [email protected] and ask them if their Seabreak product will be suitable for your application. They say can it can be used as a rocker stopper by hanging it straight over the gunnel. I use one on my boat on the end of a spinnaker pole. They also recommend turing it inside out (reduce wear) when used as a rocker/flopper stopper. I put extra weight on the bottom (Burke don't recommend this) to help it sink more quickly on each stroke and also have a piece of extra rope between the top and bottom of the drogue to support the extra weight so that it doesn't deform the shape of the drogue.

Works okay for me.

Yep, rocker/flopper stopper is not a good name as it's a bit misleading. The only way to really stop it rocking is put in on a trailer or hard stand. Everything else you do just reduces it but never stops. Creek/rivers are my favourite anchorages.

Good Luck.

Maybe you can find a place to buy these in Australia. ebay link below.






http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/like/271242591815?limghlpsr=true&hlpv=2&ops=true&viphx=1&hlpht=true&lpid=107

The motion from these might be worst than with out. Gentle roll converted to jerky.

Your hull shape is a classic, and not one of the really flat types that move to every ripple. However it is still relying on form stability so it does need to follow the surface of the sea. If you are finding the movement a problem try eating ginger. Otherwise buy a deep hulled heavy boat like Hg02s H28 which is solid as a rock thanks to heaps of lead in the keel.

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echunda said..

I've contacted gilcarft and waiting a reply.

What? Are they still in business??