How to Keep Sea Water from going Down the Anchor Chain Hole?

[JPA Cate]

Hi, Newt,

I made a sunbrella cover for our first Insatiable. That windlass had an aluminum housing off which the powder coating came. At one point, Jim cleaned off the powder coating, then built up, first, etching primer, then epoxy primer, then epoxy paint, looked greeat, and I made the cover. It did lessen spray, but that boat submarined a lot, and the deck was under salt water. Long story short, the corrosion continued. But the cover did look cool.

Ann

[Hudson Force]

Originally Posted by s/v Beth

Hi Ann! I was thinking that the cover will protect my windlass from further corsion, but it is probably too late anyway...

I think mine is the same as the one in the first photo, but kept covered.

[Daveineugene]

The builder built a fiberglass chain locker that extends below the water line...he does have a drain line that can empty the chain locker ...that goes nowhere...I really appreciated the ideas and will work with them for a solution~thanks Dave

[sck5]

I used all of the above methods at the same time. Stuff a nerf into the hole, wrap plastic and then duct tape it.

You really do need a drain. I have one but the goal is to slow down water ingress to the point where the drain can easily deal with it. I am getting better at this - Our last offshore trip to Bermuda last month and there was no water at all in there!

One thing I have found. Duct tape wont stick to a salty surface. It needs to be rinsed with fresh water and dried before taping.

[Cheechako]

provide a drain in the locker

[Roy M]

Daveineugene, If the distance between the bottom of the deck and the waterline is adequate for proper feeding of chain and rode, you can fill the chain locker with spray foam to just above the waterline, smooth it and glass the surface, then drill a pair of holes, 1" in diameter, at the outboard sides of the hull to drain the seawater. Then it doesn't matter, as much, if water comes into the chain locker. It also keeps the stench of hydrogen sulfide, from dying microbes, from smelling up the bilge. But this will only work if you have sufficient vertical space for the chain to fall and settle securely.

[Adventurebound]

They should make round anchor well covers and seal with a big "O" ring. Works to seal underwater cameras etc. if you keep the surfaces clean.

[Roy M]

Anchor rodes are rarely clean of mud and sand. It might be best to make a good draining chain locker that you can hose down regularly and allow to dry out.

[Butterman]

Perhaps you could replace the chain link that is in the hole when the anchor is topped out with a machined steel plug with a circumferential rubber gasket. Once the anchor gets to the top, the machined plug would automatically plug the hole, the weight of chain below would hold it there, and you'd be good to go. You could even have the plug connection closest to the anchor able to open, so the anchor and about 2 feet of chain could be removed and stored, leaving only the plug above deck. The trick would be having it machined, figuring out a way to have an opening connection that you trust underwater(shackle?), and replacing the correct chain link(s). Thoughts?

[Lepke]

Expanding foam in the can will seal the chain and chain pipe. It breaks out easily with chain movement. Doesn't pay to do for everyday weather.

[brianlara 3]

Originally Posted by Roy M

Anchor rodes are rarely clean of mud and sand. It might be best to make a good draining chain locker that you can hose down regularly and allow to dry out.

I've got a tiny boat but with 250ft of 5/16 chain. If I didn't have a 1" drain hole 4" above waterline the mud would never wash free as the locker fills from the windlass. I RELY on the locker getting a dunking.

[svHyLyte]

Originally Posted by Butterman

Perhaps you could ....

Thoughts?

Ah... considering the discussion is 4 years old, I suspect the OP has found a solution, or not, and gone on to other matters, No?

[Butterman]

Originally Posted by svHyLyte

Ah... considering the discussion is 4 years old, I suspect the OP has found a solution, or not, and gone on to other matters, No?

Obviously, I was just posting an idea. This is a forum. It does not exist for the OP alone.

[brianlara 3]

Originally Posted by Butterman

Obviously, I was just posting an idea. This is a forum. It does not exist for the OP alone.

Precisely !!

[HankOnthewater]

On my previous boat, I had the same manual windlass as the original poster. Bottom of my anchor locker was below waterline, and draining to the bilge.

I purchased a tank-fitting and a endcap (polyethylene by Hansen), size was 2 inch. I had to file only a little, to enlarge the oval hole in the base plate of the winch. The tank-fitting was put through the deck and baseplate. I left approx 15 mm of thread of the tank-fitting protruding through the deck, above the winch base plate and the plastic nut on top of that.

I fitted a 6 mm (?1/4 inch) eyebolt through the endcap with en eye either side. When I was sure I didn't need the anchor in hurry, undid one shackle from chain/anchor, clipped a carbine hook to the chain and to eyebolt in the cap and screwed the cap down: completely watertight. If care was taken chain would not twist either.

Returning to a working anchor setup would be about a minute, as anchor remained on the bow. Hehehe, mousing the shackle took most of the time.