Chain locker

The yard just completed the new chain-locker floor, raising the drain inlet about 18 inches.* This has stopped the water coming in from the drain and provides another compartment to store extra lines, whatever.

The Coot is now back in the water and is scheduled to be taken home to Vallejo on Halloween.


-- Edited by markpierce on Friday 28th of October 2011 04:14:43 PM

you can never have too many storage spaces. I assume the new locker floor is the vertical "wall" with the angled sections running across the forepeak? so your line storage area would be below that, right? Looks handy.

Right!

I've heard that the best chain locker is tall and narrow so the chain or line dos'nt tangle up when running it out. And I've heard of many people arranging the rode as it comes down into the chain locker. That would normally take 3 people to anchor in this way. How many boaters have enough trouble w the rode that it's worth it to have somebody work the rode into the locker. I never use my chain locker other than to store my spare anchor line. Do lots of trawlers have trouble w this or is it fairly rare?

All I know is that my 200' feet of chain piles itself on the new shelf.* No hangups coming or going.

nomadwilly wrote:
Do lots of trawlers have trouble w this or is it fairly rare?

Click to expand...

Depends on the configuration and dimensions of the locker and the nature of the rode.* We built a new, much stronger floor for our chain locker and put vertical sides on it about a foot tall.* We have all chain rode and a fair distance between the chain hawse and the floor of the locker, probably about* four or five feet (see photo).* With that long of a drop the chain arranges itself into a fairly neat pyramid that so far has never shown any inclination to slump over.* The chain has never tangled or bound up coming* back out of the locker.* Once right after we installed the floor a loop slipped down into the cutout in a corner* where teh heavy ground cable for the windlass comes through and got caught.* So we added the vertical sides to the triangular floor and that made it impossible for that problem to happen again.

The orange cord going up through the hawse with the chain is an extension cord we install from December through March to carry power from the forward cabin to a pillbox heater in the lazarette.* Obviously we remove the cord if we are going to be using the anchor during this period.


-- Edited by Marin on Sunday 13th of November 2011 01:58:16 AM

"I've heard that the best chain locker is tall and narrow so the chain or line dos'nt tangle up when running it out."

The actual desire is the chain pile in the locker cant tip over or tumble .

This assures the chain exiting freely.

Mark,

is there a risk that the locker coating can be chipped?

I would consider to install a cork barrier (regular square bricks from the floor shop) to protect the coating.

The new tray/floor is fiberglass so that removes any worry of chipping paint off the interior steel hull sides.

Good idea. I will consider that solution for mine.

A lot of the steel power boats (including commercial trawlers) built around my area build the chain locker out of stainless, eliminating the rust and flaking problem and
makes for a nice clean area easy to wash out.
These anchor lockers are usually double bin style so that 2 seperate rodes/chaines can be stowed.
usual configuration is one side all chain for normal anchor(be what it may) and the other carries a reef pick (star anchor) with chain and rope.

I sprayed mine with truck bedliner. *It has worked fine without a sign of rust in 5 years of anchoring.