Ulterior Anchor Placement?

[BPetrie]

I was wondering if anyone has any information on changing the layout of the anchor well/ chain locker... currently mine is under my V-berth with a pipe coming down in the middle of the berth. i want to move this to have a better sleeping arrangement as i live aboard. its a very sound/ strong pipe and i would be worried that it also has some structural purpose... she is a nicholson 32 mkX 10..
Thanks for your help guys

[Hudson Force]

I just spent a week crewing with the delivery of a 36' that had such a pipe for the anchor chain intruding into the V-berth. ....'very uncomfortable for me. In this case the pipe's purpose was to move the chain about two feet aft in order to keep it separate from a more forward nylon rode. I would choose to remove the pipe and separate the rodes by another means, such as a marine plywood division in the forepeak that diverts the chain to a lower area with a shelf to one side for the nylon rode. Sure, it's best to keep the heavy chain more aft and low, but in the case of the boat that I was aboard, the pipe only added two feet to the placement.

[JPA Cate]

BPetrie,

Nobody else can tell you how bad it would be to learn to live with it, 'cause that is such a personal thing.

My thoughts when I read the question, were, Nicholsons were well built boats...there must be a reason why it is that way. If you measure the volume of your chain locker, so you know how many cubic feet or meters it is, then look around, where on earth are you going to find that much space for a new chain locker?

Now, it's a little aft and low in the boat, both good for its handling. And it's probably all reinforced, because chain is heavy. So you'll require something hell for stout, hard to integrate into the design of the boat, and it will be placed to the boat's disadvantage. Are you sure you really want to do it? Or is it just in your way a little of the time and something you could teach yourself to tolerate?

If you decide to go ahead with it, it will be a big job, expensive and time consuming. Good luck with it.

Ann

[UNCIVILIZED]

Yep, the placement of such a chain pipe would be a mighty inconvenience, to say the least. As to the why behind it's being built that way, I'm uncertain.

Regarding your concern that the pipe's a major structural member, my guess would be no. But barring an eyes on good look it's tough to say.
A lot of the answer to the question has to do with where the windlass is mounted, & whether or not the deck structure was designed to handle it's loads with, or without said pipe in place.
That said, might you contact the builder & ask them? Also, can you get a local, quality, builder or three to offer up opinions? Ditto on surveyors with engineering backgrounds.

Regardless of what any of the above may tell you in terms of it's current necessity for being there, even if it is "needed", there are ways to do structural modifications to the deck such that the pipe isn't required. And in saying that, I'm assuming that the windlass is currently mounted in close proximity to the pipe at the moment.

Then the question becomes one of how much is it worth to you, as well as where will the new chain locker be? Also, as a test, before breaking out the tools, in order to make modifications. Try moving all of the chain which the locker contains, or might at maximum capacity, up to the forepeak. Assuming that that's where the new locker will be. And then take the boat out for a spin in various conditions.
Thus you'll get a feel for how the boat will/would handle if you move things around. As the weight of a few hundred feet of chain on a boat that size can significantly alter her handling - both underway, & on the hook.

One other option to perhaps consider, is, how much trouble might it be to have an angled or curved pipe shaped so that it leads the chain over to one side of the bunk, or it's head? At least in that case, you more or less get a true double up forward. Though you'd need to factor in the structural implications again. In addition to possibly a new chain locker & it's attendant drainage.

[roverhi]

Weight in the bow has a serious effect on boats performance especially to windward. The farther aft the chain, the better the boat will sail. It also may be a matter of having the chain be self storing. If there is not enough room for the chain to pile up you'll be running below several times to knock the stack down as you crank in the windlass, btdt. I'd seriously explore the reason for the chain storage placement before mucking with the current set up if it works.

When we were building our W32, had the decision to make whether to put a straight run with a pipe in the V berth or a more circuitous route and unobstructed bed. It was nice having the unobstructed V berth but having to run below and handle the chain pile up every time we upped anchor was a significant pain. It didn't encourage us to regularly up anchor and move about. If I still owned the boat, would probably go for the straight pipe into the anchor locker. On our boat that would have put the pipe at the foot of the berth so not that big a thing.

Doubt if the chain pipe is structural.

[socaldmax]

I wonder what their ulterior motive was behind that.

[mrohr]

There have been some boats that have had a hawse pipe next to the mast and thereby storing the chain in the best possible place with regard to weight distribution i.e. deep in bilges and amidships.

[valhalla360]

Originally Posted by mrohr

There have been some boats that have had a hawse pipe next to the mast and thereby storing the chain in the best possible place with regard to weight distribution i.e. deep in bilges and amidships.

Of course the trade off is having the chain come back halfway across the deck.

[JPA Cate]

BPetrie,

Strongly recommend you do not go for a sail with unsecured chain piled on the V-berth! It will slide all over the place when you heel.

If you want to try the concept, flake it down in a couple or three milk crates to contain it, and lash the crates together.

Ann

[Blue Stocking]

Originally Posted by mrohr

There have been some boats that have had a hawse pipe next to the mast and thereby storing the chain in the best possible place with regard to weight distribution i.e. deep in bilges and amidships.

Sailed a big old English built cutter that had a pawl winch on the mast, and stowed the chain at the mast foot. 12ft of 3/8" stemhead to mast.

[Cheechako]

I would revise it to store the chain in the bow like most boats. I've tried chain pipes in my early cruising years (you can definitely read too many "good ideas" in books!) Chain jamming is a real issue. Chain doesn't just flow by gravity to the bottom. It tends to stack up and get solid. If it does this at the wrong time its a PITA.

[JPA Cate]

BPetrie,

Strongly suggest you consider this very carefully, as the finished product will not have the drop for the chain that the present set up has, because constructing an anchor locker that is shallow, will have to be large to accommodate the chain, and you'll have to hand flake that down each time, because you'll have to build up the under-the-deck structure to support the load of the chain and rode. You're proposing to take a system that works and cobber up something that will work less well. There's little "spare" space on a 32 ft. boat.

Ann

Ann