Sealing an anchor locker - wood

[rsn48]

So my anchor locker leaks, it isn't fiberglass. My boat is mostly wood and the joins of wood in my anchor locker leak. It took me a while to figure it out. Water would be in the bilge, I'd taste it, not salty. Then I noticed the water was "dirty" and I knew this couldn't be from the boat (was gutted, totally refitted in the bilge area including new epoxy paint applied to half way up the hull).

I realized the dirt was coming from the chain and down into the bilge. My Lewmar windlass, vertical, has a hole that is open to the elements and in our PNW rainy monsoon season water gets blown down that hole into my locker. And yes in refit I had a drain added to one side of the locker draining to the outside of the hull. So my conclusion is, the locker needs to be sealed.

My problem is with what? I was originally toying with the stuff you can buy for truck beds and its heavy viscosity when applied would seal the cracks. Aside from not knowing whether it would adhere to painted wood, I felt I wouldn't like creating a black hole so to speak. Then I though I could apply it then paint over it with an off white epoxy paint so it would be lighter when I had to muck around in it in low light conditions.

Then I thought I'd ask here, any suggestions?

 

[Comodave]

What about glassing the inside of the rope locker? Not sure how dirty and nasty the wood is and if the glass would stick or not. Maybe make a cover for the windlass to keep the rain out of the locker.

 

[rsn48]

Yes to the cover for the windlass. I have used Eldorado Upholstery in Comox for my boat cushions, they did a great job - but I'm poorer. Then I had them come out and install those little looped bungee cords for the soft walls on my soft bimini. Originally there were buttons but I've learned over time, the canvas or whatever it is, moves, shrinks (?), does whatever it wants to do and getting the walls buttoned up just wasn't happening in some locations. Those little bungee cord loops are wonderful. Now they are making covers for my windows (Sedan cruiser, lots of windows) and again they are making me poorer with material and install....lol. So I'm toying with covers for the Lewmar and the vents for my engine compartment have no system to block rain from entering, currently have large plastic bags stuff into the vents to stop the rain.

I have thought of glassing it with all the fun that entails.

 

[Comodave]

We had a previous glass boat that had a plywood bulkhead at the back of the rope locker. It wasn’t glassed so we glassed it to stop it from staying wet.

 

[rslifkin]

Personally, I'd get the wood clean and dry. Then epoxy and fiberglass the inside. Install a drain overboard if the locker is high enough in the boat to do that (unless there is already one), then paint the inside of the locker.

I rebuilt the floor in my chain locker last year, added some side panels to better seal it off from the surrounding areas, and added overboard drainage (the original design of the locker was just a piece of plywood wedged between a bulkhead and the hull with loosely defined drainage to the bilge). In my case, the floor and side panels are foam cored fiberglass panels. The forward sides are the inside of the hull, aft wall is a bulkhead that I glassed over where it would possibly get wet.


I haven't bothered with a windlass cover. Yeah, a little rain gets into the locker, but it just rinses across the rode and drains overboard harmlessly.


Here's what the finished product looks like as well as an in-progress photo.

 

[Comodave]

On the boat we glassed the rope locker on, we also had to raise up the floor of the locker to get it above the waterline. We had it slanted to one side and put the drain in the low corner to the outside. Put a clam shell over the drain hole on the outside and angled it down and aft to keep water from being forced into the drain hole. Any water that cam in when the drain went down into a wave would just run back out. We also put some slats on the floor of the locker so that water could easily drain out and the rode would dry and not sit in trapped water on the floor of the locker.

 

[GoneFarrell]

rsn,
I went with spray-on truck bed liner, kinda messy (and black, as you noted.) Confined space fumes says you'll need a respirator and a fan.

Took much longer to dry than I had patience for. Then I painted the locker white (too soon, big mistake!) The paint solvent dissolved the bed liner goo, made pretty black/white artsy streaks down the walls of the locker! But all good now. If you go that way test on a vertical sample board.

If you have any soft spots I recc Git Rot for that. Again, can take a couple days for that to harden.

I did not want to glass-in either. Mine is FG and wood bulkhead.

Alternative could be epoxy with white tint, thinned a bit for penetration, or tint Git Rot. Durabak in white (roll-on) would be good too.

 

[rsn48]

Took much longer to dry than I had patience for. Then I painted the locker white (too soon, big mistake!) The paint solvent dissolved the bed liner goo, made pretty black/white artsy streaks down the walls of the locker! But all good now. If you go that way test on a vertical sample board.

Well.... you're really selling me on this method..... lol. I need to go hang out at the big retail home repair stores more.

Anyone tried this product: CRC Leak Stop Spray Seal?

 

[Bacchus]

I recently built a storage "box" into a bay on our motorhone using plywood and some angle at key corners that would be supporting the weight. I was concerned with moisture from road / tire spray.
Mixed some resin & thinned with acetone but no hardener as first coat. It seemed to soak is fairly well, which was the intent. I next applied a couple coats of resin with hardener and added just a wee bit extra hardener. It took just a little longer than normal to fully cure but coating turned out well. I spray painted black just to blend in with suppoundings.
I could coat the joint area but if concerned with seepage into cracks you could add a layer of cloth and another coat of resin at least around the bottom that might see standing water.

 

[FF]

IF the floor of the anchor locker is above the water line the drain should be 1 1/2 or 2 inch so you can hose down the chain as needed.

Most of the mud will be washed off when using a powerful deck wash , but not all.

Old mud stinks , a good drain is less work than handing up all the chain to scrub on deck.

 

[rslifkin]

IF the floor of the anchor locker is above the water line the drain should be 1 1/2 or 2 inch so you can hose down the chain as needed.

Most of the mud will be washed off when using a powerful deck wash , but not all.

Old mud stinks , a good drain is less work than handing up all the chain to scrub on deck.

Agreed on having good drainage. My drain is only 1 inch, but it flows plenty for me to take either a dock hose or the washdown hose and rinse the chain in place without filling up the locker.



And if smell proves to be an issue, put a gasket on the door from the cabin to the locker, and if there's not already enough ventilation through the drain, windlass, etc. then add an external vent to the locker. That way any smell ends up outside rather than inside.