Reducing “coning “ in the chain locker -ideas ?

[Bellinghamster]

+1 for the sloping platform. Mine used to pile and get tangled around the cutter stay reinforcement rod through the middle of the anchor locker.
I built a new short bulkhead in the space under the v-berth to make a new "chain compartment" (with a drain tube to the forward shower sump pump box), cut out the bottom off the chain locker bulkhead below the vberth and made a slide such that there was a fall off off the aft end of it into the new compartment. The chain had a vertical drop under the windlass of about 2 ft, then another 18" or so down the slide before the fall off the aft end into the pile. The distance allowed it to randomize it's path and we never had pile up issues again (2 years full time cruising). I had 300ft 3/8 chain with another 200ft of rode spliced on it. The rode stored easily aft of the chain rather than under it, which helped keep it from being a soggy/stinky mess and probably also helped the chain from rusting. The chain being lower and farther aft was good.

I also made a wood slat "basket" forward of the cutter stay with a separate deck plate, which allowed 400ft of 5/8 super-strong to be readily available at the bow for emergency tow/2nd anchor/hurricane line, etc.

I don't have any photos that show the slide, unfortunately but here are a couple I dug up that show before and after (not in order).

[GordMay]

[goboatingnow]

Gordmay mine is the instance on the left , but changing the windlass isn’t an option

But mine falls to the hull, I certainly have the required minimum fall

[waterman46]

Gord, your picture shows the chain already piled up, as if it has already been fully stowed. This is certainly the best solution, but I'm sure we would not be having this discussion if we all had those clearances above the top of the cone!

[more]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-_nMkrA1AA

https://www.osculati.com/en/11004-01...stowing-system

[waterman46]

OK, so the chain goes out - but the problem of coning occurs when bringing the chain onboard. Any video of that cone doing the job? I'm skeptical unless the cone is moving a little under some sort of power making the tip of it go in small circles.

[donradcliffe]

I have heard of people using a piece of square rubbish bin to line the chain locker. It was a lot more slippery than the inside of the locker.

One one boat I put a wire in the locker that came up through a hole in the deck with a handle on one end and the bitter end fixed in the locker. The the wire was pulled back by a bungy to one side of the stack, but when you pulled on the handle it knocked the stack over. It worked well as long as you pulled frequently and didn't let the stack build up too high.