Has anyone modified their anchor locker on at DE 38? (32's and 45's may also apply)
The wood in the anchor locker/v-berth bulkhead on Windsong is completely rotten away and needs replacement. I was planning on keeping the existing fiberglass/gelcoated bulkhead and doing all of the wood replacement inside the locker, but I am now considering moving the bulkhead back a few inches to make the locker larger.
I am thinking of using the first set of hull-side ribs that the teak battens are attached to as a base for a new plywood/fiberglass bulkhead. It would essentially move the bulkhead back into the v-berth about 2-3 inches, but provide quite a bit more volume in the anchor locker. With the bulkhead moved back, I might be able to construct a pipe system to have the anchor chain go into the forward most locker under the v-berth. I'll loose a few inches of bed space, but the v-berth bed is plenty big enough to shave a few inches off.
Any comments or ideas would be appreciated.
Edit: here are some images
Locker bulkhead and plan:
Bulkhead rot, looking down from opening:
I am planning on putting a 3 or 4 inch pvc pipe from the deck opening for the chain rode and running it to the lower chain locker and then putting a second through deck opening oposite that one for the nylon rode to be stored in the upper chain locker. I haven't measured it yet to see how well that will work though.. I am also planning on glassing in a fitting in the lower chain locker That I can put a 1 1/2 inch hose or such on and run back to a forward sump right under the head can keep the area under the vberth and salon dry mostly.. Right now we get some water into the chain locker when going to weather in heavier seas or when pulling the chain in and it runs through the chain lockers and then under the vberth on under the salon and then into the bilge.
scott
I added a port bow roller and hawse for Pelli (DE32). I Installed a 4" PVC pipe from the starb one, to the bottom of the locker (just barely incroaching on the V berth), then another pipe shooting back into the space under the berth. I fiddled around a lot with the angle for this, as I'd had a similar problem with a previous boat. Unfortunately there seems to be no way to get the chain to run freely and not pile-up at some stage. My compromise alows about 60' to go down (with a bit of jiggling) before it jambs - or needs someone below to rake it aft. I have 180' of chain in there and another 120' stowed aft that can be added-on when needed. To port, I have about 30' of chain and 100'of rode which just fits in the forepeak chain locker. There doesn't seem to have been any wood up there other than the door? I did do some extra glassing to the bulkhead when fitting the pipes.
I think the only way to get everything to run freely, would be to angle the pipe aft thru the bulkhead and part of the V berth. But that would make the berth (on the 32) somewhat restricted!
I built-in some lockers high up under the V berth on either side, leaving access to the chain in the middle and changed the configuration of the access. Not sure how this was originally as it had all been torn appart previously.
I'd be interested to hear how others have tackled this problem?
Tim - 'Pelli' - DE32
That sounds ominous for this project. Hopefully the DE38 has an extra few inches in there to run a pipe back to the lower chain locker with. We ran the chain out at the dock and back in all the way when we inspected it and it required someone down below raking the chain back through both lockers.. an increadable pain in the butt and just plain unsafe if you had to deal with getting an anchor up quickly or in rough conditions. If I can't get the chain to run into and out of the lockers safely and easily I will most likely change out to a stainless or galvanized steel cable rode like comercial fisherman use and have an above deck winch and spool for it mounted in its own box against the front face of the coach roof just behind the sampson bitts on one side or the other. I could probably have about 3 or 4 hundred ft of cable stored on a fairly small but powerfull winch that way. It would also drop the weight in the bow by about 75% or more.
This is another project that I'd like to tackle someday in the future. About 5 years ago I ran a pvc pipe from the deck pipe down the the locker where holding tank was originally located. I'll attach a pic so you can see what doesn't really work. I added an anchor roller down below to get the chain away from the hull and maximize the drop, but still only get about 35' in before it castles up to the roller and I have to come down and knock it over. It's no big deal when I'm double handing, but I've spent about half my time out cruising by myself and pulling in 250' of chain in a deep pacific anchorage having to run down below every 30 feet gets really old. Here's my current setup:
What'd I'd like to do is to move the bulkhead back myself and store my secondary rode down below and use the enlarged upper locker for chain. Right now I've got 300' of chain on my primary and 40' of chain and 300' of 5/8" nylon on my secondary. Storing all that nylon rode down below would be very awkward, but I use it so rarely that it shouldn't be a bit problem. Unfortunately the best solution would be a pipe running from the foredeck right though the lower third of the berth down to the locker below, but it would ruin the bunk.
Jason
DE32 Bodhran
Do you see many boats using stainless cable as anchor rode? I know a handfull that do and they seem to love it. Lighter, cheaper, stronger per weight, they put eyes in it every 50 feet or so to attach a large snubber to from the boat and have a manual or electric winch on the fordeck that spools it up. I think they usually have 30 to 50 ft of chain on the end to give it some wheight in the water on the bottom.
Scott
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