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

[Daveineugene]

Our boat has a sealed anchor chain locker and will fill with water in rough seas going to weather...wondering if anyone has figured a way to seal around the anchor chain...I have thought about shooting a bit of spray foam around it but don't really want to much it up.




Your thoughts are appreciated.

Dave

[Paul Elliott]

I've heard of people stuffing a foam "Nerf Ball" into the pipe. I've also heard of using plasticine modeling clay (oil-based), or rags. How well these stoppers will stay put under heavy pounding green water is a good question, but under more moderate conditions I would try the Nerf Ball.

[s/v Beth]

For out here in the Pacific, isn't the proper way to stow your anchor, put the chain down your hause hole and plug it up? That would assume you wouldn't be trying to get your ground tackle out at 0300 during a storm to keep from washing ashore. That also assumes that you are not going to use that chain for a sea anchor, but my system is completely separate with separate tackle. So anyway, it is a trade off of sorts.

[rebel heart]

A piece of foam works well. You can use one of those foam "noodles" for swimming and just grab a piece of that with a razor. If you're beating hard and shipping green water, it's going to get into the boat, I don't care what anyone says.

[bobconnie]

If your offshore passage makeing, stow the anchor, lower all chain into your bin, plug the hole. When ya start seeing shore birds put it back together! Easy-peasy. just my 2 cents

[builder dan]

just wondering why your chain locker doesnt drain,I usually stuff a rag around the chain,unless going off shore then i take anchor off and tie a plug to the end of the chain the weight of the chain holds the plug in.

[charliehows]

clean out your chain locker, there should be a drain in there somewhere - have a look at the outside of the hull in the forepeak, should be a 1/2 inch hole somewhere about level with the bottom of the locker.

[estarzinger]

We have tried essentially all the possible methods . . . And settled on two:

If you are up for detaching the chain from the anchor (for longer passages) we had a tapered teak plug made that exactly fits the chain hold, with a screw eye on the bottom, to which we attach the chain. The teak will swell just a bit when it gets wet and totally seal the hole, and the chain hooked to it will keep it in place. Note: this works very well with your windless which I believe has a symmetrical hole with parallel sides . . . . It does not work as well with the lewmar Windlasses because of their hole shape.

For shorter trips, I wrap the whole windless and chain hole with plastic cling wrap, and then put one wrap of duct tape around the bottom. That also completely seals it, and can be ripped off in a second if the anchor needs to be dropped.

The third method that is bulletproof is to shoot some spray foam into the hole, with the chain still in place. That makes a complete seal, but is messy . . . The above two methods are not messy.

We have tried the nerd balls and pastic bags and clay, etc and did not find them to be completely satisfactory . . . Hard to get a complete seal with the chain in place, etc.

[Hudson Force]

We have a cover for the windlass that also covers the hole where the chain passes through the deck. Admittedly, this is not sufficient if your bow is plunging full awash, but it suits for the other 99.5% of the time.

[s/v Beth]

I am grateful to the long term cruisers who have shared their solutions. I will use the plug with the attachment and for longer voyages make a watertight sunbrella cover. Great ideas!

[Roy M]

Daveineugene, When you ship water through the hawsepipe, where does that water accumulate? Does it travel into your bilge? fill up the chain locker? Can you send a picture?

What is the vertical distance between the underside of the deck, the waterline and the bottom of the chainlocker? There are any number of ways to handle the water, but we need some details of what you have to work with. Then, in addition, you can work on ways to reduce the seawater intake.

Also, is the rode all-chain or mixed, and how long is it?

[JPA Cate]

Originally Posted by s/v Beth

I am grateful to the long term cruisers who have shared their solutions. I will use the plug with the attachment and for longer voyages make a watertight sunbrella cover. Great ideas!

Sunbrella will stay waterproof only 5 years. PVC cloth will stay waterproof Annlonger, but will UV deteriorate, also in about 5 yrs. Why do you want to add a cloth cover to a timber plug that's only going to be in place on passages? Why not just paint the part that will be exposed if you want to protect the wood?

[JPA Cate]

"If you're beating hard and shipping green water, it's going to get into the boat, I don't care what anyone says."

Well, Eric,

If you have a cover for yours, you tie off the anchor and stow the chain. then duct tape the bottom edge of the cover to the deck, that worked for us for years on a boat where the anchor locker drained into the bilge, and we wanted to keep the sea water on the outside. On ours, the underneath of the cover had a strong hook screwed into the underneath of the (chrome plated bronze) cover, and that hook accepted the bitter (anchor) end of the chain.

Ann

[s/v Beth]

Originally Posted by Ann T. Cate

Sunbrella will stay waterproof only 5 years. PVC cloth will stay waterproof Annlonger, but will UV deteriorate, also in about 5 yrs. Why do you want to add a cloth cover to a timber plug that's only going to be in place on passages? Why not just paint the part that will be exposed if you want to protect the wood?

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

[hlev00]

Originally Posted by s/v Beth

I am grateful to the long term cruisers who have shared their solutions. I will use the plug with the attachment and for longer voyages make a watertight sunbrella cover. Great ideas!

Add a drain unless your anchor locker sits below the waterline. It seems easier to provide a way for it to drain than to try to keep the water out.