I have not anchored much but my chain always gets snagged at the triangular hole between the locker and the vberth.  Knocking it down doesn't work, in fact if I wait that long for it to back up in the locker, it's more of a hassle to move the chain around to get at the snagged link to allow it to free run again.  No amount of beating or shifting around the pile will cause it to unsnag, without getting to those 1 or 2 very bottom links with fingers.  So lowering the chain and raking it into the vberth locker has to be in-sync to avoid both the snag or the build-up.  This might be a side effect of having larger chain than originally specified.

I consider it paramount to have all chain self stowing, so I built a new navel pipe out of 2” pvc and rubber collars from Lowes. This comes out of the locker door and leads between the front part of the bunks, to the large compartment below and all the chain now self stows perfectly. Okay, having a pipe in the middle of the twin bed doesn’t look so nice, but we don’t have guests often anyway and they will just have to put up with it. I’m sure they wouldn’t prefer to have to haul the mucky wet chain down below by hand.

See my website at http://www.schooner-britannia.com

1: The windlass is mounted in the big flat section of deck.  It's got a big backing plate down below, but I've certainly had problems with delamination on Bodhran's foredeck over the years and would seriously reinforce it before I would think of putting a windlass back there.

2: This is a two person solution.  It requires that someone be below flaking chain the entire time it's coming in.  I used to run my chain down a 3" abs pipe to the locker below the v-berth where the holding tank was originally.  I'd have to have someone below flaking or run down myself every 30' to knock the chain down.  I normally singlehand, so there was a lot of running back and forth between the v-berth and the foredeck going on.  No problem when things are calm, but I often had to get creative when in a crowded/tight/windy anchorage.

3: You have to disconnect the chain from the anchor to use the v-berth.  Even worse you'd be flinging mud/seawater around the forecabin.  Not pleasant even if you anchor in nice clean sand, but thoroughly disgusting if you're anchored in some thick mangrove mud.

My current setup has all the chain forward in an expanded version of the original chain locker.  I ended up adding a second bulkhead 6" back from the first and expanding the original door cutout.  It holds 300' of chain no problem and whenever it castles up, I just knock it down with the windlass handle from up on deck.  Of course I still am using a manual windlass too.  This only worked for me because years ago I replaced the bulkhead between the head and the v-berth that had rotted out.  When I did, I moved that bulkhead aft 11", so even with moving the anchor locker bulkhead aft, my bunk is still 5" longer than the original and much wider at the pointy end.

If I were to setup a stock Downeaster, I'd probably run a 3" abs tube down below the bunk like I used to have, but the tube would only run from the bottom of the locker not from deck level.  I'd then figure out how much chain would fit in the upper locker.  Hopefully it'd be enough for most of my anchoring needs.  I'd stow the excess chain down below only needing it when anchoring in high winds or particularly deep anchorages.  The lower chain would require flaking as it came in, but it'd be the first chain up when hauling anchor and it'd be no big deal running back and forth to flake it with the anchor still set.

That's my $.02,

Jason

DE32 Bodhran

This is what I was talking about.

This guy has a DE38 and does quite a few videos of it in action.

scott

It would be a lot easier to just run 2 or 3 inch pvc through a cutout in the bulkhead at the head of the vberth to the lower anchor locker and then glass it back in where it is exposed to the berth.

Thanks