chain locker drain hole

I had recently a strong crash with a wave with my GB42 heritage 1980.
Once at port I realized that all my forward cabin was with one inch of water on top of the cabinet deck and below the mattresses

A short investigation determined that the water entered trough the deck chain hole and that the chain locker has no drain hole.
Does anyone noticed this ?
Thanks

I wonder if it would be a good idea to drill some holes to drain it to the bilge. That is, if there is a path for it. My Taiwanese trawler drains into the bilge. It's a long path there, but it gets there eventually under the galley and holding tank.

Same here on my 34 Californian. I have no drain hole in my anchor locker. Oddly enough, I've never found water sitting in the bottom of my anchor locker or had any bad stench problems associated with wet lockers. Until a couple of months ago, I was boating primarily in fresh water. Now that I'm in salt water more often, I may learn that the salt water changes the dynamics of this issue..

The chain entry point on my windlass doesn't seem to take on water. I have a cover on the deck chain hole (shown in the 2nd picture taken during my windlass project) which remains in the deck from the original Powerwinch. It remains covered at all times and has not leaked to date.

I thought normal practice was a drain from the locker, through the hull, well above the waterline.

Hola Alberto
I have friends in Tavernes Blanques and expect to be visiting them Spring 2014 (without my boat.) Keep the weather nice for me OK.

I didn't have an anchor locker drain either on my 37 Californian and it did become an issue. I found a couple of inches of water laying in the bottom of the chain locker and substantial rusting to the end of the chain. I had the chain and anchor replated and while it was out I installed a drain and hose into the bilge.

I haven't had any problem since. I also placed a wood grating in the bottom of the locker to keep the chain above any residual water in the bottom.

Larry B

I am surprised that a boat would not have drainage on a chain locker. It gets filled with wet chain and rode even without extra water getting in. A puddle of water under the chain would certainly reduce its lifespan.
I've got a small drain hole in the bow well above the waterline. Maybe the base of your chain locker is lower and too close to the waterline for this option.

Whattayamean? You don't blow dry your rode and anchor? Must be a southern hemisphere thing.

FlyWright said:

Whattayamean? You don't blow dry your rode and anchor? Must be a southern hemisphere thing.

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Must be. I blow dry it, and maybe add a bit of curl to the rode to make it coil nicely.

I have a drain hole in the locker and it has a splash guard over it on the outer hull to keep water out under normal conditions.

drb1025 said:

I have a drain hole in the locker and it has a splash guard over it on the outer hull to keep water out under normal conditions.

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Ditto.....the American made boats didn't catch on to the drain until much later.

Have a drain hole in the anchor-chain compartment. The base of the compartment was too low and allowed water into the forward cabin when proceeding over six knots (bow wave). Had a fiberglass floor built higher up in the chain locker to solve the problem.





The drain outlet was too close to the locker floor:

If you have a drain to the outside of the hull, watch for mud build up in the anchor well. On my last boat, a Masters 34, (you could stand chest deep in the anchor well), I found mud at the bottom concealing 2 inch diamond rubber matting. No surprise it was not draining well, cleaned up with the water blaster.

Best to wash/rinse down the chain when hauling it in.

BruceK said:

If you have a drain to the outside of the hull, watch for mud build up in the anchor well. .

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Good point Bruce. We drop our chain on the dock and wash ours out every fall to keep the mud and ooze stuff from growing mushrooms.

Mark and Tom, with deck wash on this boat, unlike the old one, chain stays clean, but it can`t hurt to run it out and check now and then.

BruceK said:

Mark and Tom, with deck wash on this boat, unlike the old one, chain stays clean, but it can`t hurt to run it out and check now and then.

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I'm always threatening myself to run the chain out onto the dock and put length-markers on it.

markpierce said:

I'm always threatening myself to run the chain out onto the dock and put length-markers on it.

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Without the luxury of a counter, we did that with colored cable ties. Occasionally the windlass eats one, otherwise all good,certainly improved our anchoring performance.

markpierce said:

I'm always threatening myself to run the chain out onto the dock and put length-markers on it.

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Mark and BruceK - highly recommend getting and fitting a modest chain counter. Not hard to do - quite fun in fact, and makes anchoring sooo much easier, especially at night.
I got this one in Auckland. NZ. It is not wireless. but was quite easy to wire in, and they are avaialble online. Just one word of caution, many of them come with an inadequate magnet - bigger is better...
CruzPro CH55 Chain Counter

Back on topic, yes...my vessel old as it is has a locker drain which opens well above the waterline with stainless cover, as in Seahorse's pic. Hard to believe any vessel would be made without, but I'd rather bore a hole at the right level and epoxy a plastic sleeve into it and drain it out throught the hull than into the bilge as my first preference.

Add a large overboard drain hole .

Big enough so mud and small shells can pass out. 1-1/2 or 2 inch

Draining liquified mud into the bilge will tax the pump and cause a low tide stench as the wildlife in the muck dies and rots.

If one has to create a chain locker Skeenes gives proper dimensions so the chain will flake and run properly.

A chain locker is a designed space , no more a box of chain than a fuel tank is a box of fuel.

On Siesta, we have have a drain hole well above the water line. We do not get much water in the locker except from a wet chain. That said when back at the marina I tend to give the chain a good hose down inside the locker with fresh water after use.
But, more importantly, and this is a brilliant feature the PO added, we have a deck wash outlet (salt water) in the anchor chain locker so that we can wash the chain and anchor during retrieval. The PO also had a stainless tube installed to direct water at the chain.

All I have to do is insert the hose in the tube and turn the deck wash pump on and then raise the anchor.

I will try to remember to take a photo of the arrangement this weekend. Mike

I use a deck wash or the pipe I installed that directs water at the chain as it approaches the roller. This gets 99% of the mud and 100% of any big chunks off before the wet chain goes below. at the bottom of the locker I have a large drain to the bilge. This has never been much of a problem with stink, until I replaced shaft packing earlier this year, and since then I have so much less clean water entering that the bilge has been smelliing a bit. This is controlled for the moment, but I may redirect the drain to a thruhull just above the waterline as a future project.

The drain hole on our Nova sundeck is also well above the waterline, as you can see with it's accompanying rust stain from 240 feet of 3/8" chain.

Looks like there's an anchor that's getting used! FSR is your friend.

We call it the "rust badge of courage" for anchoring out where "slip-huggers" dare to tread.

We call it the "rust badge of courage" for anchoring out where "slip-huggers" dare to tread.

You must anchor out pretty close to your slip, there is no brown water mustache that usually grows on cruising boats.

That ain't no "brown water mustache" that is pure rust and no amount of sea water is gonna wash it off.

Ancora:

1 you need to replace that rusty chain.

2 Toilet bowl cleaner takes off a lot of rust. Naval Jelly or Oxalic acid also takes off a lot. Then only wetsanding will get the rest of it. But wear your badge until you replace the chain, or it will be wasted effort.

FlyWright said:

I have a cover on the deck chain hole ...

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It's called a spurling pipe.

I've got more pressing needs for the boat than spending bucks on a new anchor chain. The rode still works and I can't see the rust stain underway. Kinda got used to it by now, gives the boat character.

ancora said:

I've got more pressing needs for the boat than spending bucks on a new anchor chain. The rode still works and I can't see the rust stain underway. Kinda got used to it by now, gives the boat character.

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Watch out for a hole in your chain.