Storing lines?

[dhays]

One thought I had for hanging lines inside my forward bow locker is to use epoxy to mount two perforator base studs to the hull reasonably high up inside the locker. Then I could cut a lenght of teak, starboard, or even marine plywood, drill holes through near either end for the studs and use SS nuts to secure it. Then I could mount hooks to the teak/starboard/wood or drill and drive pegs into it, or something else to hang lines from. If that solution doesn’t work out, I can easily remove it and try again with something else since the base stubs would be “permanent”.

Ideally, in a bow locker I want to be able to easy hang a line and just as easily remove it. As such, I wouldn’t want anything that I would have to reach far into the locker to remove or place, anything that would take two hands, and ideally something that could easily be done without looking at it. That is where something as simple as pegs would work well.

https://www.thesamba.com/vw/gallery/pix/1334045.jpg

 

[rochepoint]

Maybe these organizers..........

 

[Bacchus]

I make several versions of line, hose & power cord holders using 1- 1/4" wide vinyl chair strapping and either common sense fasteners, lift the dot or snaps depending on the location & use.
Usually common sense works best and us secure.
They can be rail mounted w 2 loops one short around the rail and one long enough for the item being held.
I sometimes mount these firm to a surface by using 2 screws through the common sense base and the vinyl into the mounting surface so the strap stays put whether in use or not.
On previous boat I hung a coiled hose on the anchor locker lid similar to what you are looking to do. It was always connected to the wash down faucet inside the locker. When the lid opened I could still access the locker without removing the hose... worked very well. In that case the strap I made was a piece of hollow nylon webbing that I inserted a stiffener... you can use any thin flat materialm wood, fiberglass, alum... one end was screwed in place the other end I used a common sense twist fastener. Insert the "strap" through the center of the hose coil and fasten in place.
I can't provide pics of that one as the boat us sold but can snap & post a few of the rail or surface mounted ones if desired.

 

[ranger58sb]

Agreed, if I had places outside for the hooks I'd consider it. But we use this boat recreationally more than anything else, so having lines stored outside during days we're not using the boat seems like a waste. And kinda looks messy (or so I've been told by the wife).

For ready access we've had good success leaving a long enough tail to secure them to the handrail on the flybridge stairs. Handy for short trips between stops.

We're lucky enough to have a boatload of rocket launchers on the flybridge rail... and I make up lines so I can use their own spliced loops as hangers over each launcher.

They're exposed to sunlight, not so great, but they last for years anyway... and the trade-off of handy storage and immediate access is worth it to us.

-Chris

 

[O C Diver]

Wet lines are coiled and draped over a bench seat in the dinghy to dry, out of the way. Once dry, lines are stored in a bench locker solely for that purpose. I try to avoid leaving lines in the sun when not if use as it tends to make them stiffer and weaker over time. Also find they stay cleaner when stored in a locker.

Ted

 

[wkearney99]

Lots of good comments in this thread, thanks everyone.

Maybe these organizers..........

My question is how well does that kind of organizer hold itself 'closed' if attached to the underside of a locker hatch? I think I'm going to order a couple of different kinds and experiment.

Movement is a hassle with attaching anything to the hull using plywood. If there's any flex you need to use adhesives that'll account for it. I had a previous boat with the freshwater pump mounted to a board that was stuck to the insider of the hull near the bow. There was just enough thumping from wave action when underway to cause the board to pop loose. This coupled with the weight of the pump. I don't know what they used to attach it from the factory but it didn't hold. 4200 seemed to correct that.

For my forward lockers that's not ideal. Right now, with careful coiling of the lines and whip to the fender it requires either kneeling and reaching down into the locker or using a boat hook.

A sudden realization occurs to be... I have to wonder how well the hatch will stay open with anything attached to it.... The aft cockpit hatches have gas lifts assisting their opening and holding them open. But the forward lockers are just hinged, with no gas struts. Hanging a line from the hatch wouldn't make it excessively heavy to open but might present problems with it staying open. That and their shape would not lend well to adding any kind of gas lift (it'd have to be placed dead-center, right where a line would hang).

I may have to rethink the forward lockers. Good to get a chance to pause on an idea before buying stuff and drilling holes, eh?

 

[C lectric]

Not sure that rigging up something with PVC is all that great an idea for being out in direct sunlight. Most PVC piping isn't rated for direct UV exposure and it'd get brittle over time. That and I'd think better airflow would be preferable instead of just resting inside a tube.

Actually PVC pipe will withstand the sun quite well. It does help though if painted. The paint offers another layer of protection and maybe you want a different colour. If you do paint it though for best adhesion lightly sand and then wipe down with solvent, paint thinner, to remove any wax residue which most PVC pipe has to help with the extrusion process. PVC can be sticky.
I have painted for my own use without getting carried away with the dewaxing.

We used PVC pipe out of doors at work for water lines on cooling towers and such. They were years old and still good. The PVC is full of pigments which block penetration of UV.

 

[dhays]

A sudden realization occurs to be... I have to wonder how well the hatch will stay open with anything attached to it.... The aft cockpit hatches have gas lifts assisting their opening and holding them open. But the forward lockers are just hinged, with no gas struts. Hanging a line from the hatch wouldn't make it excessively heavy to open but might present problems with it staying open. That and their shape would not lend well to adding any kind of gas lift (it'd have to be placed dead-center, right where a line would hang).

I may have to rethink the forward lockers. Good to get a chance to pause on an idea before buying stuff and drilling holes, eh?

I was wondering about the hatch staying open as well. In my case, the hatch is large, opens just past vertical (so the hanging lines are pulling it closed), and it has gas struts. My own forward hatches in the bow I don’t think would work well with that system.

 

[wkearney99]

The starting point for the forward lockers is that it would be helpful if the lines and fenders stored in the forward lockers were retrievable quickly.

Getting to them now requires either kneeling and reaching or fishing around for the line with a boat hook. It occurs to me the whole line bundle itself doesn't need to be hung (and would probably present problems with keeping the hatch open). Also, that wouldn't help retrieving the fender.

What might work up there would be some cam cleats.

https://www.defender.com/category.jsp?name=cams-cleats-and-accessories&path=-1|2259971&id=2259989

Coil the lines, as we do already, and snug the tail into a cam cleat. Likewise the same for the fender whip. Two (or more) of these on the underside of hatch could do this. The fender has more than enough length to make this work. A coil of line would probably need more bitter end than we typically allow now, but that's easy enough to re-learn. Otherwise the hanging weight would likely pull the line out of the cam when the hatch was closed. Putting them lower on the hatch would also help avoid issues with a hanging weight pulling the hatch shut.

A past problem I've had for lines up there has been moisture. I've since cleared the drains and have bought some Dri-Dek tiles. That should probably alleviate the lines getting wet/damp.

 

[wkearney99]

Now the question turns back to the cockpit lockers. My goals are two-fold. One is easy retrieval of a small number of lines for transient docking. The other is a way to reliably retrieve specific length lines. Right now I end up with a pile in the bottom of the locker and I have to fish among the coils to a) just get one and b) go fishing again to get the correct lengths.

My thought was if I hung them under the hatch it'd make them easier to retrieve and distinguish their lengths. But with 5/8" and 3/4" lines there starts to be an issue with weight.

This thread gives me some new things to think about when I get to the boat this weekend....

 

[ssobol]

... My thought was if I hung them under the hatch it'd make them easier to retrieve and distinguish their lengths. But with 5/8" and 3/4" lines there starts to be an issue with weight. ...

I use different colored line for different lengths. The white ones are short, the green ones are 20', and the black ones are long. Can't remember the exact length of the white and black ones off the top of my head right now. Also, easier to tell an assistant what line you need. I.e. "Just give me a white one."

 

[Bacchus]

I have taped near the eye w different colored "magic" tape... no adhesive adheres to itself when stretched. Same could be done at bitter end w colored tape, shrink tube or whipping to distinguish lengths

 

[O C Diver]

My green travel lines have colored whipping to indicate lengths, red bow, white spring, and blue stern. My home slip lines are white with the ends heat sealed. So coloring the bow and stern lines ends with a colored Sharpie was the solution.

Ted

 

[ranger58sb]

I use different colored line for different lengths.

Ditto, almost. Our focus is on purpose, so black for bow and stern, white for spring, a single gold for heavier "warping spring."

-Chris

 

[Nocanvas]

In my old boat I made use of some polyform line straps to make it easier to store the lines. I screwed them into the back wall of the lazarette. Made for a quick way to get the lines out without untying anything, while hanging them allowed them to dry.

I saw this posted somewhere and wonder if anyone else has tried something like it.

The downside would be having to tie/untie the lines from the rails. Especially while standing over an open locker. I could double up using rails like that and then the straps but then I'd hanging the lines pretty low once the hatch was closed.

Anyone else come up with a novel solution for stowing lines in a cockpit locker?

This is working for me well

 

[South of Heaven]

Ya gotta love our 1st world problems!