A27 Anchor Locker Drain

[don123]

On my pre-production '84 model, there isn't one - Whatever liquid gets up below when you store the wet rode winds up underneath the Vee berth cushions!

Surely not all A27's are built this way??

While I was in the area installing the bow thruster, I thought I'd solve this by installing a tube which drained the locker to beneath the locker 'floor' under the Vee berth so everything drained into the forward bilge, where I do have a pump to get the shower water overboard. Problem is, there's not really enough room to install the tube - My anchor locker ends in a very tight space right at the level of the Vee berth cushions

The other option as I see it is to put a small triangular floor piece in the bottom of the locker, glassed to the hull all around and then drill a hole out the front of the bow, under the bow eye and let the locker drain that way. The problem there is that in rough seas I could see water coming into the locker via that hole which isn't a pleasant thought. Incidentally, my pretty stainless bow eye is bolted to the boat with a pair of ordinary steel nuts which look nearly gone after spending 30 years inside the wet anchor locker. Bet they saved 15 cents or so by not using stainless nuts

Knowing that later model boats MUST have solved this anchor locker drain problem somehow (who needs/wants wet Vee berth cushions?) I thought I'd ask here to see what the rest of you have

Thanks!

Don

[Vic K]

Don,

I had the same problem and I just drilled a drain hole straight out the bow. Added a ss cap. This method is used on a lot of boats. Keeps all the anchor line water out side the boat. Don't know it you can see it in the photo it;s just below the bow eye.
It's simple but it works.
Vic

[don123]

Vic,

That's the solution we settled on. We fabricated a 'floor' for the anchor locker out of 3/8ths ply and epoxied it in using glass matt. It's a couple inches below the bow eye. The floor leans forward 15 or 20 degrees and forms a watertight compartment, so when I drill the hole beneath the bow eye, everything will run out the front. I think a 1/4 inch hole should do it

I had about an inch of caked mud at the very bottom before - Dirty water was running under the Vee berth cushions

I'm also planning to cut off the extra 1 1/2 inches of threads on the bow eye - Less chance for the anchor rode to get tangled up when pulling it up out of the hawze pipe

Don

[sail149]

Don there is a SS small vent cover than you can install sort of facing backwards to cover the hole from bow wave splash.

[Beta Don]

Thanks Warren!

What we did was to glass in a 3/8th's ply floor for the locker - The aft edge rests on a piece of teak ply which is a backer for the bulkhead between the locker and the cabin. The new floor is tilted forward (down) about 20 degrees and it is tabbed to the hull all the way around. At the forward most point it's a couple inches below the bow eye 'legs' sticking through the hull. I drilled a 1/4 inch hole at a downward slant of about 40 degrees which exits at the very front center of the bow 2 or 3 inches below the bow eye - Even if any water does enter there, it will run back out. I also cut off the excess threaded portion of the bow eye so they can't snag my rode any longer. Will add a picture later

Don

[sail149]

Don
So you have a bow eye! Most I've seen do not have one. Is it original? Or did you add ....as I think yours was trailered to you?
When I trailered mine I used a strong strap thru my bow thruster hole, I did not trust the " bow eye Post' to stop 8000# of boat!
Warren

[Beta Don]

Warren,

The bow eye is factory, but I've never used it. I did trailer the boat from Phoenix to Biloxi (1600 miles) when I originally bought it and then later on I custom built a trailer for it, but I've never trusted the bow eye to keep the boat on the trailer

Don

[sail149]

Smart move!