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E39 Anchor Locker

gadangit

Member III
I've been reading all the other posts of trying to solve anchor locker issues and thought I'd chime in as well. Our anchor locker looks like this right now:
Anchor Locker.jpg
All the mud (icky Galveston Bay muck, do I need to say more?) that doesn't go back out with the chain is going to end up in the boat somewhere. My current plan is to put a hose at the bottom of the locker and route to the shower sump. That will contain the muck and pump out overboard. I haven't actually done that yet, we just don't anchor out enough to push the issue yet. But I'm hoping to change that (more anchoring in my future.)

Below is the profile showing the waterline just below the anchor locker and my measurements approximately line up with that with 250+lbs of chain in there now.
Ericson 39 Sales 2.jpg
I'd like to modernize this situation and drill a drain hole in the hull. Some questions for the gallery:
1. Does this need to be a completely watertight compartment? Full fiberglass on the backside of the bulkhead, hull to hull and up to the deck? If so, I'm thinking I could remove these nice cabinet doors and put a used lewmar hatch in place. Hatch would allow access for windlass and rode issues and be watertight.

2. Does a dogged down hatch seal in both directions? In other words, could it swing out?

3. How big of a drain hole? Both sides or one right on the front?

4. Is watertight up to a certain distance acceptable? Doesn't seem like it, but thought I'd ask.

5. Is the shower sump solution "good enough"? Save my time and money for something else


I'm mostly concerned about the mess coming in with the rode as I made a plug of thickened epoxy that fits pretty tightly (with butyl tape to finish the seal) that I stick into the hole that the chain goes through at the windlass. I'm not claiming completely sealed to green water over the bow, but pretty darn close. The plug spits back out with ease when letting chain out, so quickly deploying the anchor is not an issue.
 

Christian Williams

E381 - Los Angeles
Senior Moderator
Blogs Author
Well, on the E38 the bulkhead isn't watertight. So Ericson didn't think it was necessary. See pix.

I would think a pressure salt-water anchor-chain wash would be helpful to get off the mud. In Annapolis I sure could've used such a rig--and I kept that anchor and rode on deck.

E38 v berth hatch.jpgE38 anchor locker.jpg
 

gadangit

Member III
Interesting. Do you have a fiberglass pan behind that door? Or is it just hull? I only have hull and tabbed in bulkhead, so it seems like something would have to be fashioned to keep the water out.
 

Christian Williams

E381 - Los Angeles
Senior Moderator
Blogs Author
On this model the rode lies in the pan visible atop the drain hose. So theoretically no water gets into the boat.

No lower pan, just hull.

There is a transverse bulkhead under the V-berth a few feet back, with limber holes to allow water to run into the main bilges.

There's nothing I'd consider a watertight compartment.
 
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gadangit

Member III
So if I just glassed in the hull and bulkhead, basically making a pan, up to the level of the bottom of the cabinet door it would be roughly equivalent to what is on the E38? Then drill a hole out the hull for drainage.

I've kicked around the saltwater wash down, I'm just trying to stop installing more systems onto the boat.
 

Baslin

Member III
Chris,

I am at Waterford Harbor Marina and I installed a manual windlass in our 1983 E38...If you want, I can show you how I did the install. Currently any water that enters the chain locker with the chain, or from water coming through the hawse pipe, eventually drains back into forward bilge. We do have a second bilge pump in that forward area. I was worried about mud and debris clogging the bilge pump but so far, we have not had any issues. As you know, anchoring in Galveston Bay is a messy situation on our ground tackle. We usually pull some chain out once back at the dock and give it a good rinse. I am on Pier 14, Slip 25. Blue hull Ericson, "Josephine"..........
 

gadangit

Member III
Chris,

I am at Waterford Harbor Marina and I installed a manual windlass in our 1983 E38...If you want, I can show you how I did the install. Currently any water that enters the chain locker with the chain, or from water coming through the hawse pipe, eventually drains back into forward bilge. We do have a second bilge pump in that forward area. I was worried about mud and debris clogging the bilge pump but so far, we have not had any issues. As you know, anchoring in Galveston Bay is a messy situation on our ground tackle. We usually pull some chain out once back at the dock and give it a good rinse. I am on Pier 14, Slip 25. Blue hull Ericson, "Josephine"..........

Awesome, I'll take you up on that. My office is at Watergate, so I'm just footsteps away. Let me know a good time.
Chris
 

stxchris

Junior Member
From the Peanut Gallery

Chris, I haven't gotten around to addressing the principal reason my mast step needed replacing but your thread has me thinking of solutions. It is clear that the anchor locker, draining thru the boat to the only bilge contributed to the deterioration of my mast step. Duh! Having a second and forward bilge may have been something the PO thought too cumbersome. If they thought at all.
Here's a thought for you: in that section forward of the holding tank and aft of the anchor locker, install a thru-hull that leads to a pan fabricated to hold the chain and all the water and sludge you can collect up to that 18" level above static water? Have the top of the hose/screen end, say 12" below that point but 6" above static water level. In the pan, have a perforated grill that allows water and sludge to drip off the chain but not let the chain drop below, say 8" above the bottom of the pan.
At anchor, you'll have 2" of space between the top of sludge and the bottom of chain. Underway, you will have fresh seawater rinsing the chain every time your bow dips, and draining as it rises. Once you are happy with the pristine condition of your chain, close the seacock.
At a certain point, you will need to clean out the accumulated sludge. Set a second anchor (or tie off to the dock) and then let out all your chain. Scoop out the sludge, being careful when hauling it thru the cabin. Cleanliness yada yada.
Details: the pan fabricated within the anchor locker needs to allow various hoses and wires to run from under to above. If you can have some flake the chain when retrieving to an area forward of the nasty chain, then rinsing and cleaning is that much easier.
Let me know if this works and if, by hook or crook, it does, I do it myself.
Chris
 

gadangit

Member III
Hi Chris-
I'm smellin what you are cooking here. However, I am leaning towards keeping this chain runoff completely out of the boat. I think I can easily watertight the bulkhead all the way to the bottom of the doors. I've actually already epoxied and put a light fiberglass layer on the locker side to get an abrasion and water resistant layer against the wood. I can just go back in and finish it off with intent. I'd add a watertight "floor" that is about 12" above the static waterline. Then drill a hole in the hull at the low point. As far as I can tell, this is functionally the same as described in most anchor locker threads with a glassed in tube with a hose up to a pan. I'm interested in what people see that I am missing.

I see on the newer boats they have a scupper type full fitting on the drain to facilitate pulling water out of the boat. I can see using something like that on the hull.
 
L

Leslie Newman

Guest
I like having a completely dry bilge. Definitely wouldn't want the grey/black mud from the Chesapeake Bay all down in my bilge. I installed a washdown pump soon after purchasing our E380. Very glad I did that. I piped it so I can pull in sea water or switch valves and pull fresh water from my tanks (have backflow preventer on fresh side). That way I can wash the mud off with seawater as I pull in the line, chain and anchor. Then do a final wash with fresh water. Our water tanks have plenty of fresh water capacity to cover weekend activities and have some spare to do a little clean up at the bow.

Your E39 probably can handle the extra chain weight in the bow. I don't think my E380 would like all that chain up there. I have a 47 gallon water tank in the bow. I like to travel with our dinghy on the cabin. With the full water tank and the dinghy, that seems like enough extra weight up at the bow.
 

gadangit

Member III
Leslie-
Sounds like we swapped chain for water as we don't have any tankage in the v-berth.

After pondering more, I haven't removed a saltwater rinse combined with a hose to our shower bilge from the list of solutions. For some reason the hole in the hull just doesn't sit right. I'm in no real hurry just yet.
 
L

Leslie Newman

Guest
Leslie-
Sounds like we swapped chain for water as we don't have any tankage in the v-berth.

After pondering more, I haven't removed a saltwater rinse combined with a hose to our shower bilge from the list of solutions. For some reason the hole in the hull just doesn't sit right. I'm in no real hurry just yet.

It is hard coming to terms cutting a hole through the hull. I just added two thru hulls in the V berth area for condensate and circulation water for the air conditioning. Just did a lot of measuring and then went for it.

Having the wash down is really good. That grey/black mud that comes up on the chain and anchor is just a mess. Being able to hose it off immediately is nice and I can hose myself off as well.
You could be spraying the chain as it gets pulled in my your windlass. My anchor locker already had a drain. I had to run a hose from under the sink, along the port side under the settee, through a cabinet bottom, then the hose just fit through a hole that is under the water tank and then up into the cavity below the anchor locker. I mounted the pump under the sink shelf. Luckily there was a couple of spare seacocks under the sink and I used one of them for the seawater supply.
 

Loren Beach

O34 - Portland, OR
Senior Moderator
Blogs Author
Avoiding another hole

It is hard coming to terms cutting a hole through the hull. I just added two thru hulls in the V berth area for condensate and circulation water for the air conditioning. Just did a lot of measuring and then went for it.

Having the wash down is really good. That grey/black mud that comes up on the chain and anchor is just a mess. Being able to hose it off immediately is nice and I can hose myself off as well.
You could be spraying the chain as it gets pulled in my your windlass. My anchor locker already had a drain. I had to run a hose from under the sink, along the port side under the settee, through a cabinet bottom, then the hose just fit through a hole that is under the water tank and then up into the cavity below the anchor locker. I mounted the pump under the sink shelf. Luckily there was a couple of spare seacocks under the sink and I used one of them for the seawater supply.

No personal experience with wash downs, but I have read of owners who found room to run a 3/4" hose from a head sink or galley sink drain up to the bow for an outside-water source to their pump.
Gotta say, I do not enjoy bucketing sticky mud off of our foredeck after an "arm strong" procedure bringing in the line, muddy chain and anchor.
 

gadangit

Member III
Two things:
1. Man, hats off to you guys hauling in your anchor by hand! Lisa just doesn't know how good she has it.
2. I should clarify that a hole for the anchor locker drain is what doesn't sit right. It seems odd to have a hole in the hull that will for sure be buried in a wave at some point. No hose, no valve, no pump, just the v-berth cushions if the locker fills up.
 
L

Leslie Newman

Guest
Two things:
1. Man, hats off to you guys hauling in your anchor by hand! Lisa just doesn't know how good she has it.
2. I should clarify that a hole for the anchor locker drain is what doesn't sit right. It seems odd to have a hole in the hull that will for sure be buried in a wave at some point. No hose, no valve, no pump, just the v-berth cushions if the locker fills up.


Oh, that #2. I couldn't cut that hole ever. Would need to totally seal the cavity first.
 

RenDe

Member II
Interested in this too.

Did you ever get this figured out. I've the same boat essentially so I am curious about this. I was looking at my neighbors boat and they have an anchor well with two drains. The cool thing is the drains actually have metal cups over them withe the cups facing aft. So water can drain and in the case of being force into a wave the cups actually create a brief suction of the anchor locker. Theirs is also almost a plumb bow so if it is forced into a wave it would probably be down a lot longer than our raked bows. I think one way scuppers of some sort would also work.
 

gadangit

Member III
Did you ever get this figured out. I've the same boat essentially so I am curious about this. I was looking at my neighbors boat and they have an anchor well with two drains. The cool thing is the drains actually have metal cups over them withe the cups facing aft. So water can drain and in the case of being force into a wave the cups actually create a brief suction of the anchor locker. Theirs is also almost a plumb bow so if it is forced into a wave it would probably be down a lot longer than our raked bows. I think one way scuppers of some sort would also work.

No movement yet on my end. Waiting for someone else to go first. :)
Still leaning towards washdown with hose to shower bilge.
 

RenDe

Member II
No movement yet on my end. Waiting for someone else to go first. :)
Still leaning towards washdown with hose to shower bilge.

So I am in the process of clearing a clog of the shower drain. The lines from the shower drain on my boat and the fittings are all kinda small. Would you be going directly to the hose vs going into the shower drain somewhere. Mine also has a manual switch but I feel like I'd want an automatic switch of some sort. I've actually considered a small secondary bilge pan under the floor with a float switch. That could serve double duty as a bilge pan for the anchor locker.
 

gadangit

Member III
So I am in the process of clearing a clog of the shower drain. The lines from the shower drain on my boat and the fittings are all kinda small. Would you be going directly to the hose vs going into the shower drain somewhere. Mine also has a manual switch but I feel like I'd want an automatic switch of some sort. I've actually considered a small secondary bilge pan under the floor with a float switch. That could serve double duty as a bilge pan for the anchor locker.

Yep, I've got one of those separate plastic shower bilge things with an automatic centrifugal pump in it. I have the AC condensate and shower pan plumbed to it with one remaining spot for the anchor locker. The output Ts into the head sink drain and straight out the boat.
 
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