Sealing Anchor Locker

[Warren Holybee]

This past week i doubled the bulkhead in the anchor locker to reinforce it for a chainplate for an inner forestay. To do this, i first had to remove and cleanup the work the PO did to seal the bulkhead to the deck to prevent leaks.

They did a poor job. Huge goops of silicone, but at least it was pretty easy to remove.

Now that i have doubled the bulkhead and glassed that in, i am faced with the task of sealing it properly. On close inspection, im not sure of a good way. Glassing the bulkhead to the deck is easy enough. But the corners in the bulwark are open, and there isn't anything to glass to. It is also really difficult to get to to do any work. Sanding and grinding so the glass will bond isn't going to happen.

How have others tackled this? Im wondering about access from the vee berth with the headliner removed, and maybe starting with foam, either expanding or 1' thick sheets. Once in place and basically watertight, then glass over it from the anchor locker side.

Also, the wiring for the navigation lights runs through there, and i don't want to glass over them.

 

[john english]

Expanding foam is open cell. If you break the dried surface, it become a sponge. Sounds like a job for Divinycell H80 and a gallon of 5200.
Where are you going to attach the inner forestay to the mast? Are running backs included?

 

[Warren Holybee]

The expanding foam I have used is closed cell. The 2 part you mix, not the spray can. But I think the spray can is closed cell also, as it is meant for insulation, and for that you need closed cell. Yup, just checked Lowes, the spray can stuff is closed cell.

I am leaning towards a foam sheet though; I have left over from my freezer build. Cut a triangle to fit as tightly as I can, then seal the edges with 5200, and then glass over it. I will follow Ted Brewer's plan, with the inner stay parallel to the forestay, and running backstays. Probably all in dyneema. But that is still quite a ways off. The next major project will be a windlass, but the bulkhead work needed to be completed first, as I wouldn't be able to complete that after the windlass was installed. I considered a Solent type, but I think when I need to use the smaller sail, it should be as far aft as possible. Such that when the main is reefed, the center of effort doesn't change.

For the wire, I am thinking of putting a short piece of PVC pipe through whatever I do. Run the wire, and seal it with spray can foam. That would be water tight, but also I could with some effort get it out and replace it. There is a butt splice in the anchor locker for the navigation lights. Surprisingly I never had a problem with it, well, not since I fixed it right after buying the boat.

The windlass is going to be interesting. I want a (probably) horizontal windlass inside the anchor locker, such that it is completely hidden and will operate with the locker closed. I haven't decided on which one. The lofrans dorado seems about the right form-factor, but is a bit smaller than I would like (800W). But should work, considering I have until now weighed anchor by hand. The Cayman is monstrously powerful, But it's larger than I like, and there isn't a rope/chain gypsy available. Anyway, that is another discussion.

 

[terry_thatcher]

I have a story on windlasses and anchor lockers to consider. The PO on Adavida put a vertical windlass aft of the anchor locker, with a slanted hause pipe going into the lower locker, under the shelf. With an all chain rode of 250', the chain does not self-stow. It piles up, runs into the shelf and jams. He also set up a system to stow part of the chain under the forward lower berth (tube from anchor locker to small forward locker), but it is almost impossible to get the chain in there without someone else on deck.

So, this year I decided to get rid of the aft part of the shelf, thinking that without it, the chain would not get jammed up and it would self stow. 75 work hours later, the chain still jams and will not self stow. The hause pipe still enters at the level of the previous but now gone shelf and the chain piles up and jams the hause pipe .

I now know what I should have done, but it would have required even more work. That is, take out the after part of the shelf to create a deep locker. Then create a strong base at the level of the current lid. Then mount the windlass on that new base, right above the anchor locker. But as I say, that would have required even more work, including replacing the windlass with a horizontal, moving it forward, and repairing the deck where the current windlass is.

The Morgan suffers from a modern boat issue. Fine bows and anchor lockers too far forward. The locker should be 2 feet aft of its current location. Better yet, anchor lockers should be just forward of the mast.

 

[Warren Holybee]

I am having a difficult time visualizing your situation. But having chain not stow is a common issue. I have been on several boats where someone had to be in the v-berth to knock the pile down as it stacked.

I think there is supposed to be 18" of free fall, which I think there would be in my case. The "lower locker" doesn't have a floor, and I think there is at least 2 feet of drop to the very bottom of that space. I wonder about adding a floor at a 45 deg angle so the chain stacks to one side or placing a pyramid structure to the chain falls to one side of the pyramid to stack. A false floor would allow a sump of sorts so that water could be pumped out instead of draining to the bilge.

It is also another reason for having a shorter chain. I know I am in the minority, and it is very controversial, but I believe there are very, very few places where there is any advantage to more than about 150' of chain. I have never been to or seen one, but I will assume they must exist. The _ONLY_ reason for all chain is for chafe from rocks or coral. And you only chafe that which is on bottom and comes in contact with the rocks/coral. 150' of chain will allow for anchoring in 75' with zero chance of the rope part touching the ground. I have only anchored in that depth a couple times, and it was mud. I have anchored in rocks and coral a lot, but rarely more than 30 feet, and at 30' it would be all chain, or very close to it.

 

[john english]

I was inspired by a local circumnavigator on his wooden Lapworth 48 (Nalu 4).
His and now my set up for 20 years is an anchor of choice, 30ft 3/8 SS chain, 5/8 double braid. Led back to the cockpit primary (65:1) and hauled in by a 28 volt 90 degree Milwaukee drill motor