I have Been asked about the ICE "Fish" retrieval system which works extremely well in any weather , without letting the fish get anywhere near the hull and you don't have to use any muscle, other that someone using a sheet winch.

First thing to remember is that I hate re-inventing the wheel...so I simply adapted the well and truly sorted Nordhavn 46 system into our SHM 462-6. There is only one fish to use...the same as the N46, and most other cruisers around the world, the heavy steel Koldstrand fish that is totally proven...it is designed right , flies right and was never meant to be lifted by hand.Why try to use a Light Fish just because you have to Bodily try lift it...a good fish has to have a vertical fin/rudder like a plane and has to be heavy to drop down fast....the issue is to set up the right recovery plan for your boat and the N46 is as good as you will get.

The good news is I just did a test ( at last)putting some pics up in the Photo album section of this forum..it all worked, but they were to big...so will sort that within 24 hours which will help this explination...so check them out.

I used the exact length of chain trace, and rope strop including diameter..12mm.. as described in "Voyaging Under Power- BeeBe" ( infact the whole system is copied from this bible) for the N46...the poles are set up the same and with the ketch rig I have a secure storage system for the poles as on the N46.

I have the fish stored on the port/starbord quarters of the lower rails down on the Marina deck ,( similar to the N46) out of the way when alongside a wharf. Directly above them on each side, I have a small SS "Crane" Arm extending out from my aft targa, with a pulley on the end. A line coming from the pulley...(being controlled by a person back in the cockpit on the sheet winch)... is lifting the chain above the fish so it will suspend the fish directly above the mounting Tubes. When in that position all I have to do, standing completely protected on the marina deck out of the weather,is twist it up, so the lead bulb is facing down...while the weight is taken by the chain/winch...and I tell the winch person to lower the lift. The fish is guided into the storage Tube...Done!

To launch the fish once the poles are set I just go down and throw them in.

To get them out of the water I Have a small 20 cm SS grapnel on the end of the recovery line which goes up through the pulley and onto the Cockpit self tailing winches.....I slow the boat to anything less than 4 kts to 1kt..you can do it in seas up to 2mts plus, no problems...and throw the grapnel out ahead of the fish chain ,so the chain runs over the recovery line,then pull it in till it grabs the chain...then the wincher takes over....as the pole is left out and the line/chain on the pole is fixed , the grapnel slides down the chain easily as it drags the fish over toward the boat...as it gets close the forward motion of the boat keeps the fish well clear of the hull and just as it is about to lift out of the water, it is also dragging a bit behind the hull..well clear so no hitting the boat....well before this point is reached, I am down on the marina deck watching progress and advising the wincher...before the fish is out of the water, and when it is close enough, I reach my arm out and put my hand on the chain letting it guide slowly through my hand..not lifting just guiding it and holding it out until it is high enough just to twist it over and into the mount...tell the wincher to stop and drop it 15cm into the Tube job done...in a seaway or calm...

On the N46 they use a central lift on the end of a long boom with an electric winch and a permanently attached wire recovery line and up down winch control buttons at the Fish storage position so it can all be done single handed...I need a wincher...but could do it single handed if need, but would stop the boat..I bought the electric winches to copy this but decided I did not want permanent recovery lines and saved all the complication by useing the cockpit winches. I use the same winches in the cockpit to lift the flying boat or Zodiac on the aft davits.

I totally surprised myself at how easy the whole thing was during the first recovery in Big seas....I made the the SS "Cranes" pivot 180 degrees or lock in position, so I can use Them to lift up to 200KG into the cockpit or the outboards onto their mounts if needed.

SHM built it exactly as I wanted and it is all part of my whole cockpit/Targa.... storage/mounting systems. ICE is a great boat.

I will probably switch to steel, though not immediately.

If I were heading out on a long crossing I would switch right away but since I'm doing coastal cruising in the North West it is going to be pretty easy to replace them when I decide to.

Hugh

Bills idea for my boat is to run a pipe across the davits with a snatch block above the fish holder. Use a heavy wall, braced, SS pipe for outboard lifting capacity.

Hugh, I see you have plywood fish, Any plans on using steel ones now that you have a mechanical advantage

Don,

Thanks for the post, experience and endorsement of the fish retrieval system. The yard, based on what they did with your boat and the experience you had with the fish retrieval system will be installing the same system on my boat.

Just in time as it leaves August 2nd for Seattle/Tacoma.

I owe you one! (I already pulled them in by hand from the stern cockpit where I was planning to add winches to aid in retrieval. Both pulling and lifting are a lot more work than I would expect most people to be able to do reliably and safely without some type of mechanical advantage.)

Hugh