What's back there - Anchor Locker

While staring at down into my anchor locker on my '85 32-3 after cleaning it out this weekend I began to wonder what might be under there. Then I began to wonder how would I ever rebed the bow pulpit. So I thought I'd ask if anyone here has ever removed the anchor locker on a 32-3 or been able to gain access to the inside of the bow? Havn't explored this problem too much, thought I'd ask first and maybe save my self some trouble.

Been there: project amplification

Our E34 has many screws fastening the shallow anchor well into the rim of the deck depression for it. I once tried to remove it but it was a tough job and it didn't want to budge because of all of the sealant between the top surface of the deck rim and the bottom of the anchor well rim. Now I'm in the process of converting it like our E32-200 was.

Our 32-200 had a shallow anchor well that had been cut out just over the forward bulkhead at the front of the vberth to the front of the anchor well. Then they glassed over the exposed bulkhead and glassed it all into the underside of the deck and sides of the hull, making a watertight deep anchor well and bulkhead. Instead of the bow of the foredeck sealing the cabin, the new bulkhead at the aft end of the new anchor well does. A drain hole was added to the bottom on one side.

The point is that after this is done, the bow pulpit and cleats are exposed underneath, making maintenance easy. Plus any leakage of the bedding just runs into the anchor well. You also end up with a stronger forward bulkhead, FWIW.

On the downside, some sages such as Nigel Calder frown on these deep anchor wells for offshore yachts since they tend to fill up with water in heavy seas and disturb the trim. The alternative to the deep anchor well is to just have a hause pipe into a forward chain locker. I've heard that sometimes hause pipe setups need to be attended underneath while operating the windlass.

I think with a little ingenuity the deep well water filling problem can be mostly overcome, such as inflating one of those tough 26" exercise balls in the anchor well when offshore to displace incoming seas. The ball could double as a water toy on anchor. Maybe someone would actually use it for exercise too.

Was on the list...

Yeah, that was one of my future projects that I never got to...

I saw either an E35-3 or an E38 out at Vashon Ise. during one of our NW get togethers who had done what you've described - plus he framed in the area beneath the deck (where the cleats are) and added an electric windlass - sweet.

If you have the time and inclination, I would say such a project would go under the heading of a 'good correction' on the original design. Make the bulkhead watertight as mentioned above, and gelcoat in the locker (hell, add a spraydown hose while you're at it).

Then next time you can pull the hook with your foot, and never stop drinking your AM coffee!

//sse

phase II

Now that you mention it, I have a windlass to install too. I plan to have some stainless made up to bridge the aft area of the locker where the original pan is still intact. Then I will make a fiberglass box underneath it so the motor ends up recessed in the vberth ceiling.

Its a vertical windlass without a drum so the whole thing will hide under the locker lid and drop the rode 20" straight into the new well.

Besides the windlass, Peg wanted a washdown pump so it is sitting in the projects box in the basement now. She also wanted another portlight above her head in the aft cabin and opening portlights amidships. Those are done. She's keeping me really busy this year.

Sean Engle said:

Yeah, that was one of my future projects that I never got to...

I saw either an E35-3 or an E38 out at Vashon Ise. during one of our NW get togethers who had done what you've described - plus he framed in the area beneath the deck (where the cleats are) and added an electric windlass - sweet.

If you have the time and inclination, I would say such a project would go under the heading of a 'good correction' on the original design. Make the bulkhead watertight as mentioned above, and gelcoat in the locker (hell, add a spraydown hose while you're at it).

Then next time you can pull the hook with your foot, and never stop drinking your AM coffee!

//sse

Click to expand...

Frank, my anchor locker has Beckson-like ports at the top. I remember using one to make sure that the cleats had backing plates (after a report about another model that had the cleats torn out in a storm). However, I would not attempt to remove the well liner unless absolutely necessary. It must have been installed before the interior was completed because there is no access to the drain hose from inside the boat (as there apparently is on the 35-3).

Ahhhh....

I don't have those access ports but that would do the trick, without having to remove that deep locker. I think I may add a couple of those to provide access. I've also considered adding a U-bolt or similar to tie off the bitter end of my anchor rode. With the access port I could now get a backing plate on something. Much smaller project than trying to remove the entire deep well and making it water tight.

My bitter end is attached to one of two fittings I attached to secure a bungee that keeps the anchor line coiled to the side. There are just screwed on the fiberglass (no backing plate) - I was concerned that a really hard jerk on the line would just rip a big chunk out of the well liner. It's nice to keep the rode up out of the bottom of the well where it sits in water that comes into the well when underway.

Anchor locker upgrades

The first owner had just let the anchor line lay on the bottom of the anchor locker and grow mold. We added some cut-and-fitted pieces of Dri-Dek. It works great and the water drains out the exit hole and lets the line dry out a lot quicker. I also added a SS u-bolt with a backing plate to one side to dead end the rode.

Cheers,
Loren

moldy rhode

I do like that Dri-dek idea.

Loren Beach said:

The first owner had just let the anchor line lay on the bottom of the anchor locker and grow mold. We added some cut-and-fitted pieces of Dri-Dek. It works great and the water drains out the exit hole and lets the line dry out a lot quicker. I also added a SS u-bolt with a backing plate to one side to dead end the rode.

Cheers,
Loren

Click to expand...

access ports for the minimal effort

In my case I had an immediate leak and I wanted to do the deep locker for my windlass anyway, so I went ahead with the project creep and made the big well instead of just buying access ports that would become obsolete when I did the deep well. I think I saw some rectangular ports that could just fit in the sides of the original shallow well.

Now the leak goes right into the well. I still need to do the re-bedding soon.

Good luck with it !

Mindscape said:

I don't have those access ports but that would do the trick, without having to remove that deep locker. I think I may add a couple of those to provide access. I've also considered adding a U-bolt or similar to tie off the bitter end of my anchor rode. With the access port I could now get a backing plate on something. Much smaller project than trying to remove the entire deep well and making it water tight.

Click to expand...

Good ideas

I like the dry-dek idea, so that anything sitting in the bottom of the locker can dry out. some bungees to handle the anchor line will work out great as well. I'm going back and forth on the backing plate, I would like to have something that can take a little load, but I think Geoff is right, any substantial load and the liner wall is going to break.

Does anyone keep thier anchor in the locker? If so is it secured somehow?

I keep my Spade A80 in the locker with business end facing down. It sits there quite securely. I also splurged on 15 feet of stainless chain so that I don't have to worry about it rusting away.

Dri Deck

Even more critical is the propane well. I heard of a guy once who shoved rags into the bottom of the well because his bottle rattled...

I put dri deck also underneath the v-berth and aft cabin cushions. Very nice result (albeit not cheap).

Loren Beach said:

The first owner had just let the anchor line lay on the bottom of the anchor locker and grow mold. We added some cut-and-fitted pieces of Dri-Dek. It works great and the water drains out the exit hole and lets the line dry out a lot quicker. I also added a SS u-bolt with a backing plate to one side to dead end the rode.

Cheers,
Loren

Click to expand...

Ditto - I did the same thing - it had a very nice result - especially for the cost!

//sse

Rebedding anchor locker

Frank (Mindscape): We removed and rebedded the anchor locker on our E34 this spring. It was an easy project, all in all, compared to many others. First I removed the screws around the rim of the anchor locker, which were mostly hidden by old bedding compound. Then I removed the bedding compound around the edge with a putty knife. The rim's overlap wasn't that wide, so there wasn't a lot of compound to remove under the rim. After that, with my husband pushing the locker up from underneath, I was able to lift the locker out easily. Once the locker was out, it was easy to rebed all the bow fittings (the bow pulpit and cleats). While we had the anchor locker out, we also re-glassed around the copper pipe that drains through the bow. It had become a little loose over the years.

--Brooke

shallow anchor well structure

When I cut out the front of our E34 anchor well, I found that it was about 3/8" of fiberglass with 1/2" of marine plywood underneath the entire bottom surface. One might attach the bitter end to a U-bolt in the bottom in a symmetrical way so the force is distributed more evenly around the edge through the many screws. Since the force will be mostly coming from dead ahead, it will translate to shear forces on the screws around the edge. I suppose the screws could be replaced with through bolts and backing plates to make it stronger. The vertical sides of the shallow well could be backed like the bottom already is.

Even so, I wouldn't trust it. Rather, I would have the bitter end come out and attached to it's own reinforced area on the foredeck somewhere.

Geoff Johnson said:

My bitter end is attached to one of two fittings I attached to secure a bungee that keeps the anchor line coiled to the side. There are just screwed on the fiberglass (no backing plate) - I was concerned that a really hard jerk on the line would just rip a big chunk out of the well liner. It's nice to keep the rode up out of the bottom of the well where it sits in water that comes into the well when underway.

Click to expand...

The only time I have needed to have the bitter end tied off is when the all chain rode of a charter boat jumped the worn teeth of the capstan and we nearly watched $700 worth of chain and anchor (the posted price of replacing a lost anchor) drop into 35 feet of water in the BVIs. An old piece of rope on the end saved us. However, I never drop anchor without first cleating the line so I have never really worried about a bullet proof bitter end attachment.

Not normally

Normally I always tie off the bitter end on a cleat as well, but I keep waiting for the time I forget

fishing for rode

I had a friend who went out one night in a squall to let so more rode out, but instead it got a way from him and he had to use his spare anchor. The next day he got out his fishing gear with one of those triple hooks on the end. Knowing there was 150' of rode laying lengthwise directly ahead of him, he was able to motor up and cast across it. He snagged it in a few casts and retrieved it.

Mindscape said:

Normally I always tie off the bitter end on a cleat as well, but I keep waiting for the time I forget

Click to expand...

I took mine out this spring - '88 32-3.

There is no access from the bottom like mentioned in a previous post. Once as much caulking as possible is removed (and the screws, obviously) I had to fashion an L shaped putty knife that could slide under the lip and cut the caulking under the flange. Once that is done, just lift it out. You'll be shocked how big it looks once it's out.

The hard part is putting it back in. The drain hose on the bottom must be fed through the hole in the bow using a messenger line. Once in place just caulk around the hose and it's done.

You folks might remember mine was the boat with an aluminum backing plate laminated into the foredeck at the anchor locker hatch dog. Once it was dug out we were surprised to learn that the screws that were supposed to be screwed into it were not long enough and only just barely touched the top of the aluminum. The resulting corrosion created a pile of white powder 1/4 inch high that lifted and split the deck.