Anchor locker rebuild options?

[Greenhand]

Originally Posted by MARC D

This set-up works very well; with anchor coming thru a slot.

Clean arrangement. Now the original Bruce SS is secondary anchor, lashed to the left of windlass. A 44 lb Rocna is main anchor, self-launching.

Uncluttered deck to fly the Cruising Spi, grab a mooring ball, or sunbathing...

Ohhh, that is very nice looking. However, I think it is enough of a project to rebuild the anchor locker, without messing with the hull, as well. We did briefly toy with the thought of calling in a pro to build a deeper locker. However, it would mess with the foot room in the Vberth, which is our primary bed while we are living at dock, which we expect to do for a couple more years.

I have today and tomorrow off from digging out core because we removed the windlass and filled the holes with epoxy. They hadn't done that when they installed the windlass, but the core was all solid. We removed the windlass partly to rebed it properly and partly because it is soooo much easier to access the locker with both hands when you can lay with your belly on the deck without maneuvering around the windlass.

We have time to consider our options while I dig out the core and make sure everything is dry, so please keep the suggestions coming. One of the dock neighbors suggested using G10, instead of putting in a balsa core. I still have some more research, but it seems like a reasonable option at this point.

[Jim Cate]

Greenhand, here's a different outlook on draining into the bilge:

IF you go this way, you need to have a very good means of sealing the chain pipe (through which the chain goes from deck to locker) and IME this ain't easy to do. In heavy wx, a shocking amount of water can end up in your bilge from that source. Our previous boat was set up this way and we had much more water below to deal with than we wanted!

Second, we found that in muddy anchorages, inevitably some mud got into the chain locker and then migrated into the bilge. Some of it didn't smell so good, and it was difficult (in that boat) to get rid of.

As to overboard drains... it should not be very hard to make penetrations through a cored hull that don't ever leak into the core. If I were doing it, I'd do the usual local core removal and replace with epoxy mishmash, and then epoxy a bit of PVC pipe into the doctored hole for the actual drain. A rubber flap over the outside will help avoid water coming into the locker when heeled and under way. If some does come in, it will soon drain out, along with that which enters via the chain pipe.

For those reasons, I'm in the "don't drain into the bilge" corner.

Jim

[MARC D]

It's a big NO-No for me having a chain locker draining in the bilge ( under main salon floor) All kind of half-dead critters mixed with thick muck will join their efforts to give yeurk odors.

Better install 2 littles ss drain port. Glass a solid area if you are all cored.

Much better than have that crap under your toes!!

[Hudson Force]

Originally Posted by MARC D

It's a big NO-No for me having a chain locker draining in the bilge ( under main salon floor) All kind of half-dead critters mixed with thick muck will join their efforts to give yeurk odors.

Better install 2 littles ss drain port. Glass a solid area if you are all cored.

Much better than have that crap under your toes!!

There is a huge difference in the capacity, flow and cleanliness of bilges. The warning above may be proper for your boat; however, what little water drips from my chain and enters my bilge joins the other water that sometimes gathers in my bilge. It's clear and without any odor or any mud. I only place a well rinsed chain in my locker and the water on this chain is well filtered before it reaches the drain hole to my bilge. As I said above I've only had this drain hole clog with debris once in the thirty years I've had my boat.

So the message is Yes! Do not have an anchor locker that carries mud and critters "under your toes"! ...but there's no need to ignore the option of having some clean water pass from your anchor locker to your bilge

[Terra Nova]

TN's anchor chain is stowed in a locker near the base of the mast, virtually directly over the keel. This locker drains through a strainer to an enclosed shower sump.

[Greenhand]

Just in case anyone was wondering how it turned out, I am nearing completion of the rebuild. Nothing went according to plan and I have made my partner promise that we will use it like this for at least a year before we can tear it out to make room for more chain.

I am not very good at remembering to take pictures at different stages, but what I have is available on our blog.

[zeehag]

always clean yer anchor before dumpng it down the hole. vinegar if you cannot get all the critters off..works..i pour a gallon over the stowed chain via the hawse into chain locker and no smell problem
yes mine empties into bilge via under my bed.

thankyou for the update!!!

[JPA Cate]

Contrary opinion warning!!!

IMO, draining the anchor locker into the bilge is a bad idea. We had such an arrangement on our previous boat and found these problems:

If you anchor in mud very much, eventually mud will escape your chain cleaning methods and some will eventually get into the bilge. Mud often smells pretty bad...

If you go offshore, at some point you will get into conditions where there is lots of green water on deck. Lots of this will get into the anchor locker and thence into the bilge. This isn't cool at sea.

Further, there is no reason to fear core saturation from the overboard drain holes if they are done (or redone) correctly. A useful method for doing this is to first do the usual cutting away of the core around the hole area and filling with epoxy mis-mash and then epoxying appropriate sized bits of PVC pipe into the holes. Our current boat is 25years old and has done LOTS of miles using such a system, and thee are no signs of saturation (in our case of the western red cedar hull timber).

Cheers,

Jim, using Ann's computer

[Terra Nova]

Substitute glass tube in place of PVC.

[JPA Cate]

Originally Posted by Terra Nova

Substitute glass tube in place of PVC.

TN, I suppose that the glass tube (I assume that you mean fibreglass, not glass glass!) would be even better, but the PVC tube in our hull is now 25 years old and since it is not exposed to UV and is painted on both ends, it is still sound... and much easier to source when not in a hi tech area.

Jim, using Ann's computer