+1 on not leaving your anchor up there - the shank on your anchor will eat up that flat piece of plywood real quick! I learned the hard way.

Yeah, looks can be decieving some times.
Food for thought.....while not wanting to use that ring for lifting and instead use the bow eye....what about the layer of fiberglass/balsa coring that the bow eye is bolted to.... :)

I have a 47 with that exact style anchor locker but it has a stainless steel cradle the anchor fits in with a locking pin. It works great!
Also, the boat is on a MYCO tandem dually which I use to wet-launch it, but the owner before me craned it on and off the trailer every time using that lifting ring in the front.

Not sure what you mean. The 3 "lifting" eyes are about the strongest part of a boat in this size range.

The wood is there to help spread the load on a pull.

Only way i would lift my pleasure boat is by cradling it with straps like on a travel hoist. Thats why the bunks on my myco are notched, so that straps can be slid under boat to hoist it.

On my old Formula, we were loading it on the trailer one day, and my buddy had rigged up a safety chain on the bow eye, going to the trailer, for insurance should the winch strap break. Well he set that chain too tight. So when i started pulling boat up the ramp, the bow tried to raise, as the boat was being pulled up the ramp. What ended up happening was it bent the bow eye, and almost pulled it right out of the hull. The re-inforced area of fiberglass in that area inside the hull crushed. It was not cool.

By the look of those rings, i couldnt bring myself to trust the little 1/8th inch plate and two nuts on the outside of the hull carrying all that weight. Im pretty sure that the lifting rings used on race boats are tied into the stringers.

Thank you, MILD THUNDER! There is no way I would try lifting a boat with the factory bow eye.A Sling, properly placed, is the only safe way to go. That deck cleat will bust clean off if you put enough weight on it, it's just chrome over brass or pot metal. Will withstand some yanking against a dock, but lifting the boat.....not so much. The stern eyes are anchored through the 3" thick transom. a different story altogether. You could install a lifting ring on the deck, but it would mount to the deck and have another anchor below it, utilizing the underside of the bow and the deck plate combined to distribute the weight. Similar to the factory set up, only much stronger.

Well chit, put enough weight on a lifting strap, and it will break too. ;)
RATINGS, the're not just numbers made up. Don't exceed them or the weakest link, and you can do what they are made for. Just gotta get over the visual thought.

'brass or pot metal' hehe

I've seen LOTS of things that broke at less than the "rating". I've also seen/heard of more than one "Certified" GM Tech screwing up engines in boats too but he has the plaque that says "Certified".

Doesn't hurt to use some good common sense and base your decision on the type of product, where it's made etc. I guarantee you that the bow lifting eye is a way stronger piece of stainless than that little ring in the anchor locker.

That ring in your link can also be bought at West Marine and they get it from China. I don't trust the quality of much from them but guys will do what they want.

There's a few engineers that have made some bad calls out there too don't forget.

Only buy in America...no jap junk!!

My Vote
 

I would say it is put there to secure the end of the anchor line to to keep from accidently losing it overboard.