Bow Roller Fitting - Warning

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   I have recently installed a modified bow roller fitting on my 2016 Hanse 415 to allow for a second roller and provision of a short removable code/gennaker sail prodder.  In doing this I discovered some interesting and concerning issues which are worth sharing.
1) The aft two machine screws attaching the fitting were tapped into very thin layer of fiberglass as Hanse had made the backing plate too short.  The literally pulled out by hand.

2)  Hanse obviously drilled the fixing holes wrong which initially resulted in a clash between the front inner plate of the bow fitting and the bow of the boat. To overcome this the front three machine screws were packed out by three thick penny washers under each screw and between the surface of the deck and the bottom of the bow fitting. This effectively rotated and propped up the whole bow fitting to overcome the clash.  They then put very thick sealant under/around to cover up the mistake.  None of the sealant had adhered to the stainless of the bow fitting.

3) the whole bow fitting was loose and rocking and probably leaking water into the bow void when I removed it.

4) there was a number of other minor issues demonstrating poor design and workmanship. for such a critical item.

I cut inspection / access ports in the front of the anchor locker to allow for the installation and reinstalled the new fitting with new well bonded backing plates for all machine screw positions c/w washers and nyloc nuts. A little fiddly and messy but possible.  The prodder bob stay is attached to a strong Wichard U-Bolt installed below the forestay tang welded hoop.

As I keep my boat on a swing mooring you can imagine my disappointment that Hanse could produce such poor workmanship.  I strongly recommend anybody with the original single roller fitting fitted to 415/385/etc. to check their bow fitting carefully.

This is my new bow fitting and short original backing plate.

Regards

Steve

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What4 Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Sub Lieutenant Joined: 10 August 2016 Status: Offline Points: 15	Post Options Post Reply Quote What4 Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Topic: Bow Roller Fitting - Warning Posted: 04 December 2022 at 08:23
	I have recently installed a modified bow roller fitting on my 2016 Hanse 415 to allow for a second roller and provision of a short removable code/gennaker sail prodder. In doing this I discovered some interesting and concerning issues which are worth sharing. 1) The aft two machine screws attaching the fitting were tapped into very thin layer of fiberglass as Hanse had made the backing plate too short. The literally pulled out by hand. 2) Hanse obviously drilled the fixing holes wrong which initially resulted in a clash between the front inner plate of the bow fitting and the bow of the boat. To overcome this the front three machine screws were packed out by three thick penny washers under each screw and between the surface of the deck and the bottom of the bow fitting. This effectively rotated and propped up the whole bow fitting to overcome the clash. They then put very thick sealant under/around to cover up the mistake. None of the sealant had adhered to the stainless of the bow fitting. 3) the whole bow fitting was loose and rocking and probably leaking water into the bow void when I removed it. 4) there was a number of other minor issues demonstrating poor design and workmanship. for such a critical item. I cut inspection / access ports in the front of the anchor locker to allow for the installation and reinstalled the new fitting with new well bonded backing plates for all machine screw positions c/w washers and nyloc nuts. A little fiddly and messy but possible. The prodder bob stay is attached to a strong Wichard U-Bolt installed below the forestay tang welded hoop. As I keep my boat on a swing mooring you can imagine my disappointment that Hanse could produce such poor workmanship. I strongly recommend anybody with the original single roller fitting fitted to 415/385/etc. to check their bow fitting carefully. This is my new bow fitting and short original backing plate. Regards Steve

samuel Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Admiral of the Fleet Joined: 26 December 2004 Location: United Kingdom Status: Offline Points: 2770	Post Options Post Reply Quote samuel Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 04 December 2022 at 11:52
	When the front leg of my pulpit broke, (letting the guardrail suddenly go slack whilst I was leaning against it!!) I had to remove it for repair. Like you I was shocked to find that in a couple of places the nuts to the bolts were one size too big & had been slid on with sikaflex to retain them. It would seem that the operative probably could not be bothered to fit the correct sized nuts because they were in an awkward position. Edited by samuel - 04 December 2022 at 11:52
	Daydream Believer- Hanse 311- No GBR9917T- Bradwell Essex

Larrydpaul Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Lieutenant Joined: 12 December 2020 Location: Maine Status: Offline Points: 42	Post Options Post Reply Quote Larrydpaul Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 21 March 2023 at 21:21
	Steve, thanks for this information, very helpful. Do you carry 2 anchors on the bow? i'm considering switching from the 21kg to the 27kg Ultra. Do you know if the bow can support this additional weight? Thank you. Larry
	L D Paul

What4 Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Sub Lieutenant Joined: 10 August 2016 Status: Offline Points: 15	Post Options Post Reply Quote What4 Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 09 October 2023 at 15:08
	Sorry for the late reply, I missed your post. No, I carry only one anchor on the bow, an Excel #5 22kg which I am very happy with. The second roller was designed to let me approach my swing mooring without removing the anchor off its roller. The mooring line goes over the shorter roller reducing the loads on the assembly fixings somewhat . I do remove the anchor off the roller when leaving the boat on the mooring to avoid chafe/snagging on the mooring line. It also makes running a snubber when at anchor much neater and quieter as it does not rub against the chain. Finally the design facilitates a very strong removable prodder for Gennaker/code sails. I assume no one else has the bad Hanse installation I encountered or there would surely be reports of boats breaking loose! Steve

Ratbasher Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Vice Admiral Joined: 31 May 2017 Location: Cyprus Status: Offline Points: 818	Post Options Post Reply Quote Ratbasher Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 09 October 2023 at 16:54
	Hi Steve - belated thanks for posting. While the basic design of the Hanse range is fine for the price I've found several instances of very sloppy workmanship; it makes you wonder how many serious issues are lurking out of sight waiting for that 'special' time to fail like Samuel's above. I lost trust in the build and had every single safety-critical fitting including all the stanchion and cleat bases checked in an extensive refit last year - but even after that the forehatch screws failed. Your new foredeck system is impressive!
	H400 (2008) 'Wight Leopard' Gosport, UK

Wild Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Vice Admiral Joined: 18 March 2010 Location: Turkey-Greece Status: Offline Points: 937	Post Options Post Reply Quote Wild Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 10 October 2023 at 15:50
	This is not a critical piece but even then???? But not professional work!!
	Wild and Wet Belgium 545e#268

Andiroo Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Lieutenant Joined: 23 July 2025 Location: Perth Status: Offline Points: 26	Post Options Post Reply Quote Andiroo Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 10 February 2026 at 01:25
	Curious as to the source of your new Bow Roller fitting. And are you still happy after these few years since installation? regards Andrew Lucas, Atomic Blonde Fremantle Sailing Club

What4 Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Sub Lieutenant Joined: 10 August 2016 Status: Offline Points: 15	Post Options Post Reply Quote What4 Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 11 February 2026 at 02:23
	Fabricated locally here in NZ to my design. Basically we took the original single bow roller and welded on a new stb side with a tube between for the prodder. I’ve been very happy with the mod. Hanse did advise that the double bow roller fitted to 418 and newer could possibly be retrofitted to a 415 but would require modifications to the forestay. It would not have given me the prodder option so I elected to use my design. I made a wooden mockup to ensue it all fitted ok which was also useful to show the fabricator what I wanted. A bit of work and more expensive than I expected but well worth it. Steve

Andiroo Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Lieutenant Joined: 23 July 2025 Location: Perth Status: Offline Points: 26	Post Options Post Reply Quote Andiroo Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 21 February 2026 at 06:43
	Thanks for the feedback, Steve. Andrew



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