Painting Anchor Locker?

[mliemon2]

I was browsing old posts and saw a discuss about anchor lockers and thought I should clean mine out and assess its condition. It's probably never been done on my 2008 GB EU 47.

Based on the pics, think it's worth while repainting the locker? If so, what option do you think would be best?

A lot of posts recommend putting Dri-Deck down, but with the angles of the hull sides being nearly vertical, and 300' of heavy chain, it might be pointless, I have to imagine the anchor would just rip the Dri-deck off the hillsides. Thoughts?

Thanks everyone!

 

[Blissboat]

That looks like a GB whose ground tackle actually gets used. Nice!

Agree that movements of the anchor chain would eventually start relocating pieces of Dri-Deck, and it seems likely to do the same to whatever coating you apply to the inside of the hull. In that case, the bilge water will start to accumulate little flecks of paint chipped-off the sides of the anchor locker.

As much as I admire the look and appreciate the broader implications of a boat with a well maintained anchor locker, the value proposition of painting here is unconvincing.

 

[SailorGreg]

I would go at it with a pressure washer, then call it a day

 

[Larry M]

We’d use a low pressure fresh water hose and a hand brush seasonally to get the chunks and any dried stuff out. It kept the smells down and also to make sure the limber hole/anchor locker drain didn’t get clogged.

 

[Comodave]

I have painted several with Bilgekote. Loves the way it looks and it has held up well for me. But I am pretty anal about things like that. Our last boat had lots of storage compartments that were bare plywood and it bugged the heck out of me. I was working my way through them when I sold the boat. I used Bilgekote on them.

 

[mliemon2]

Another though, I could cut some 1/4" or 3/8" sheets of white Kingboard and put them in place with some 3m 4000. It could protect the fiberglass and cut down on wear... Thoughts?

 

[BVrolyk]

In the past on wooden boats that do NOT like having chain rubbed on the inside of the anchor rode locker, I've bought large cutting boards at the grocery store that are made out of a soft but tough slippery plastic stuff. They are the cheapest way I know of to get a materials that is expendable and seriously resistant to wear without damaging the galvanize on the anchor chain.

If you're lucky enough to have large flat surfaces, just cut up the cutting boards to fit and stick them on the inside surfaces of the locker with SMALL globs of silicone. (So you can easily get them off again if you need to get under them.

For curved bits, I've found that you can warm up the cutting board with your heat gun you use to strip varnish and paint, and bend it pretty easily. (Do NOT try to warm it with a torch, it'll burn.) After it cools, it'll be pretty close to the desired shape. I've also done a rough bend with a warm board and then stuffed it into the locker on the curved surface. I push/bend it to get the fit as close as I can, then re-heat it inside the locker with various lengths of 2x4 and wedges to do the final press to fit. Again, only a SMALL bit of silicone under the corners to hold it in position.

Pro-Tips: Use wide brown wrapping paper, the kind the butcher uses, to make a template of the shape so you save time on the size/shape of cutting up the plastic cutting board to complex curves. Leave the cutting board about 1/4" away from each corner/edge, and consider putting the bottom piece in the floor of the locker on top of scraps you've cut into blocks while making the other bits. Glue the blocks to the floor with silicone. While it's curing, drill holes in the floor plastic piece to let water out. It'll smell better in that locker if it can dry out. Finally, consider a exterior vent with a solar powered fan to suck air OUT of the anchor locker, again it'll keep the inside of the boat smelling better.

 

[Mambo42]

Once a year, in winter when the boat is out of the water, we take all the chain out, wash the chain locker with soap and water, then paint it with bilge paint.
We do have rubber mats lined against the side of the chain locker to reduce the damage the chain causes in the chain locker.
And that is about all we do.

 

[mliemon2]

In the past on wooden boats that do NOT like having chain rubbed on the inside of the anchor rode locker, I've bought large cutting boards at the grocery store that are made out of a soft but tough slippery plastic stuff. They are the cheapest way I know of to get a materials that is expendable and seriously resistant to wear without damaging the galvanize on the anchor chain.

If you're lucky enough to have large flat surfaces, just cut up the cutting boards to fit and stick them on the inside surfaces of the locker with SMALL globs of silicone. (So you can easily get them off again if you need to get under them.

For curved bits, I've found that you can warm up the cutting board with your heat gun you use to strip varnish and paint, and bend it pretty easily. (Do NOT try to warm it with a torch, it'll burn.) After it cools, it'll be pretty close to the desired shape. I've also done a rough bend with a warm board and then stuffed it into the locker on the curved surface. I push/bend it to get the fit as close as I can, then re-heat it inside the locker with various lengths of 2x4 and wedges to do the final press to fit. Again, only a SMALL bit of silicone under the corners to hold it in position.

Pro-Tips: Use wide brown wrapping paper, the kind the butcher uses, to make a template of the shape so you save time on the size/shape of cutting up the plastic cutting board to complex curves. Leave the cutting board about 1/4" away from each corner/edge, and consider putting the bottom piece in the floor of the locker on top of scraps you've cut into blocks while making the other bits. Glue the blocks to the floor with silicone. While it's curing, drill holes in the floor plastic piece to let water out. It'll smell better in that locker if it can dry out. Finally, consider a exterior vent with a solar powered fan to suck air OUT of the anchor locker, again it'll keep the inside of the boat smelling better.

Outstanding advice. This is exactly what I was talking about doing with kingboard except maybe I'll use UHMW instead.

 

[Comodave]

Another though, I could cut some 1/4" or 3/8" sheets of white Kingboard and put them in place with some 3m 4000. It could protect the fiberglass and cut down on wear... Thoughts?

It will not stick to Starboard. Almost nothing will.

 

[mliemon2]

Okay.... UHMW and Kingboard won't stick to silicone, so maybe G10. Any other materials I could consider?

 

[nwh10]

I'd be concerned about putting Kingboard or cutting boards or any other solid material in there and then having water, moisture. dirt, and whatever comes up on the anchor chain trapped between the layers causing odors, mildew, or even rot. I'd scrub it with a garden hose and Dawn Powerwash and then lay in some Dri-Dek at the bottom.

 

[Comodave]

Do you have a good drain in the rope locker? Does the bottom of the locker slope to the drain? That would be my first concern. If those are good then proceed to the painting, if not fix those first then paint. I absolutely love Starboard but very few caulks will stick and the one that does, doesn’t stick well. As to the bottom of the locker I am not a fan of the plastic drain tiles if you have chain, rope rode would work with them but the chain can crush the plastic tile and stop the drainage. Better to make a wooden grate to allow drainage.

 

[Mac2]

Just confirming: It seems like your more interested in protecting your boat from the chain damaging the inside of the chain locker. If so, a combination of the above would work. Glue strips of wood to the vertical surfaces. This provides an air gap along with a surface to screw starboard to. Use the dry deck (or similar) for the base. If you’re in the Seattle area , I have sheets of 1/4” starboard you can have.

 

[Comodave]

Just confirming: It seems like your more interested in protecting your boat from the chain damaging the inside of the chain locker. If so, a combination of the above would work. Glue strips of wood to the vertical surfaces. This provides an air gap along with a surface to screw starboard to. Use the dry deck (or similar) for the base. If you’re in the Seattle area , I have sheets of 1/4” starboard you can have.

That would work. Starboard needs a mechanical fastening in an application like this.

 

[my3star]

I was browsing old posts and saw a discuss about anchor lockers and thought I should clean mine out and assess its condition. It's probably never been done on my 2008 GB EU 47.

Based on the pics, think it's worth while repainting the locker? If so, what option do you think would be best?

A lot of posts recommend putting Dri-Deck down, but with the angles of the hull sides being nearly vertical, and 300' of heavy chain, it might be pointless, I have to imagine the anchor would just rip the Dri-deck off the hillsides. Thoughts?

Thanks everyone!

View attachment 160990
View attachment 160991

I painted the chain locker on my 48' Kadey Krogen. I also have 300' of chain, but it forced me to give it a good cleaning before applying the bilgekote, which was a good thing.

 

[IWAB]

Hello, I have a 79’ GB EU, and I pulled all of my chain out mainly to find out how the chain was fastened to the boat at the bitter end. In looking at your photo it appears your bitter end is attached to some kind of d ring attached to the underside of the forward deck. Assuming there may be an emergency where you have to abandon your anchor with chain, you need to splice some nylon 3 strand between the bitter end and the attachment inside the anchor locker. I see a frozen shackle between the boat and the end of the chain.

Before being concerned about the appearance of the anchor locker, I would highly recommend you get out your angle grinder, cut that shackle and splice in a length of three strand nylon or whatever you want that you can cut the length of line so you can let go your anchor rig. As it turned out, I also removed the floor of the anchor locker and replaced it with a piece of 1 inch or inch and a half thick starboard.

Here are a couple of photos:

 

[IWAB]

Mielion 2, I apologize for my above comment. Upon enlarging your photo, I see that have has been done on your boat. My bad I’m sorry, at first look, it looked like chain, not line that had been spliced.

 

[promariner]

I would go at it with a pressure washer, then call it a day

Two part epoxy paints are durable for chain lockers

 

[dirtniron]

Perhaps after it is cleaned and painted a protective barrier could be utilized.

For me I would consider cutting some unused white Nautilex vinyl cabin topping, with a paper template to fit the sides and bottom. Weep holes punched in the bottom piece. Brass eyelets installed in the top of the side pieces that hang on SS ceiling side hooks.

Having decades maintaining my 28'1963 Owens Sea Skiff, lots of this extra material in garage loft is now being utilized.

 

[Mako]

I would think that an abrasion-resistant coating would be best, and easily touched up. Do some research on the coatings they apply to steel ships on the ice belt. That would surely be a better solution than even good-ole epoxy 2 part. The challenge might be getting your hands on only 1 quart -> maybe chip in with some other boaters to share the cost.

 

[albinalaska]

If you want yours to look like a science lab (like we want for ours) we'd recommend 2-3 coats of 2000E primer followed by 3-4 coats of bilgekote. I've had good results with the 2000E which adds barrier properties to the substrate. The bilgekote may chip, good prep may help that. In my opinion - bilgekoat slightly turns color over time. Not as bad as enamel paint but the amount to which I can notice when compared to brightside, for example.

Attached is a photo of our lazarette that has been whited out with the process I mentioned above.

 

[Mako]

@albinalaska I wish even one of the dozens of boats I've looked at in the last year had a laz or engineroom like that! Great job

 

[Comodave]

Nice looking lazarette.

 

[albinalaska]

I appreciate that, thanks! It looked pretty scary when I first got to it...If that is any consolation.

 

[nwh10]

Albinalaska, you could eat out of that bilge! But you probably don't allow food below decks lol.
Seriously, it's gorgeous, and a true labor of love for a 46YO boat.