34 Hunter Anchor Locker Question

[fetterswr]

To All
I was looking at my anchor locker today and was trying figure out what the purpose of the shelf is; and is it necessary? If I remove it I think I can get more chain in the locker. I have seen where some have cut the bottom out and extended the locker I do not think I want to do that. I would like to see what you all think. I know it needs to be cleaned out.
Regards,
William Fetters

 

[shemandr]

Without any responses from other H34 owners, I'll hazard a guess that the shelf was for an anchor. It appears to me to be an after market addition. So maybe the boat didn't have a bow roller at one point or maybe had a second anchor. I think the shelf is too flimsy for a windlass. Of course we can't see the deck layout so guesses are only possible.

 

[Mike Oldak]

To All
I was looking at my anchor locker today and was trying figure out what the purpose of the shelf is; and is it necessary? If I remove it I think I can get more chain in the locker. I have seen where some have cut the bottom out and extended the locker I do not think I want to do that. I would like to see what you all think. I know it needs to be cleaned out.
Regards,
William Fetters

MORE IMPORTANTLY LOOK UNDER YOUR ANCHOR LOCKER!! I spent years trying to find leaks in my 84 H34. Finally during a required almost bottom up restoration we opened up the portal under the anchor locker and found the drain pipe had a loop in it before it exited the hull. During the many winters, water stayed in the loop, froze and created a leak so that any and all water that entered the anchor locker went immediately into the boat filing up the areas under the bed platform and then under the main cabin floor. In my opinion there is no need for the loop.

 

[Charlie98117]

Can’t say what the shelf is for, my H34 doesn’t have one but there are holes on that ledge. My boat had the bottom of the locker cut out and the drainage reworked. I would definitely remove to maximize the space

 

[Claude L.-Auger]

From what I see that shelf can be taken out easily. I agree that it looks flimsy for a windlass. More than 15 years ago I'm one of the ones that cut the bottom out for more anchor chain/rode space. The drain pipe did have a loop in it and still does as after deepening I did not want to reposition the through-hull. Never had a freezing problem because I remember to flush the anchor-well with non-toxic antifreeze (until antifreeze comes out the through-hull) when storing the boat on the hard for the winter. My shelf is aft of the anchor-well and I did not want to cut into it. I have 75 feet of 5/16 G4 chain wth 200 feet of 5/8 3-strands nylon rode attached to it. The chain and +/- 50 feet of rode drops to the bottom and I coil the remaining rode (rarely used unless I anchor in much deeper than usual depth) on that top shelf, secured with a bungee cord. It's coiled so it comes out by itself when more rode is needed.

 

[Mike Oldak]

From what I see that shelf can be taken out easily. I agree that it looks flimsy for a windlass. More than 15 years ago I'm one of the ones that cut the bottom out for more anchor chain/rode space. The drain pipe did have a loop in it and still does as after deepening I did not want to reposition the through-hull. Never had a freezing problem because I remember to flush the anchor-well with non-toxic antifreeze (until antifreeze comes out the through-hull) when storing the boat on the hard for the winter. My shelf is aft of the anchor-well and I did not want to cut into it. I have 75 feet of 5/16 G4 chain wth 200 feet of 5/8 3-strands nylon rode attached to it. The chain and +/- 50 feet of rode drops to the bottom and I coil the remaining rode (rarely used unless I anchor in much deeper than usual depth) on that top shelf, secured with a bungee cord. It's coiled so it comes out by itself when more rode is needed.

you are far luckier than me. But remember that when it rains or snows, the water will dilute then wash out any antifreeze. But I imagine that your Canadian weather is much cooler than MD..... but I no longer have to worry about flushing or freezing. Maybe other might have a real explanation for the loop, but since it drains overboard, not sure there is any reason for the loop.

 

[markwbird]

Mine does not have that but I will say: in the absence of a windlass it would make a good place to put a foot while you are hauling up the anchor.

 

[Allan12210]

To All
I was looking at my anchor locker today and was trying figure out what the purpose of the shelf is; and is it necessary? If I remove it I think I can get more chain in the locker. I have seen where some have cut the bottom out and extended the locker I do not think I want to do that. I would like to see what you all think. I know it needs to be cleaned out.
Regards,
William Fetters

Mine has the shelf. I found it useful in separating two anchors and their associated rode/chains. I always liked that the locker was molded for separate Bruce and Danforth anchors simultaneously. We used the Bruce that came with the boat as our primary anchor with 200' of 5/8" nylon rode and 25' of chain. I can't remember what size. Maybe 5/16". Later we added the Danforth style anchor with 150' of 1/2" rode and 15-20' of the same chain as a secondary. The rode and chain for the Danforth fit nicely under the shelf. The rode/chain for the Bruce could pile up on top of the shelf. Either could be used independently without tangling up in the other. Oftentimes when we needed a stern anchor I would use the Danforth rowed aft with the dinghy outside the lifelines. I'd cleat it both at the bow and off the stern.

 

[fetterswr]

Thank you all for your comment's. Not shown in the photos; there is a manual horizontal windlass mounted on a steel plate. It looks like they cut a portion of the anchor locker door off to install the windlass not a good long term design because the anchor locker door needs to be redone/reenforced because water has got into the door where it was cut. I do think I am going to remove that shelf. once again thanks for the information.
Regards,

 

[jssailem]

Now that you show the horizontal windlass, other options come to mind.

With the shelf gone I suspect you could install a vertical windlass like this one.

You need to have a vertical drop of 12+" for the chain/rode Without the shelf you would likely have that. The steel deck holding the horizontal windlass looks stout. On the vertical windlass the motor sits beneath the deck. It might be an option.

 

[Claude L.-Auger]

you are far luckier than me. But remember that when it rains or snows, the water will dilute then wash out any antifreeze. But I imagine that your Canadian weather is much cooler than MD..... but I no longer have to worry about flushing or freezing. Maybe other might have a real explanation for the loop, but since it drains overboard, not sure there is any reason for the loop.

After 15 years I don't think luck has anything to do with it. You're right that our weather is much cooler and we don't get a lot of rain in winter, mostly snow. The boat is laid up ashore, mast down, with a tarp that covers it end to end. So whatever snow melt or rain doesn't even reach the deck or the anchor well area.

 

[SabreToothedEngineer]

I have both the shelf and the cut-out in the bottom of the locker. The shelf is clearly original to the boat, as it has the same anti-skid material as the rest of the boat and is identical to several other ones I've seen photos of, including the one at the start of this thread. I'm not sure why someone seems to have replaced the shelf in my boat after cutting out the bottom (or cut out the bottom with the shelf in place, but for what purpose [and boy would that have been hard to do]?), or if for some reason they left the bottom open from the factory (my boat is a very early build, with lots of differences from later versions).

After reading everything I could find here, I'm getting ready to install a windlass while shamelessly plagiarizing ideas from others, particularly Claude Auger.

I've run into an unexpected snag, however: I can't get that damned shelf off! I thought that the screws would either be big wood screws or would go into a tapped metal plate glassed in behind. Nope, they seem to have nuts behind that spin when I turn them. I can turn all of them; they're hard to turn, but they do, and you can turn them to your heart's content and nothing happens. I went out yesterday to shove a borescope up underneath from the V-berth but my borescope chose that day to quit working. I guess I'll need to buy a new one of those now.

I can see absolutely no way to reach the underside of where the screws are, short of cutting access ports into the sides of the locker, which I'm really reluctant to do. I'm not even sure I can get the borescope up there.

Has anyone else taken this thing off, and if so, how did you do it? At this point the only option I see is to cut the screwheads off with an angle grinder.

 

[Claude L.-Auger]

If you remove the small bulkhead in front of the V-berth you might get a visual and perhaps even some access. At least remove the porthole and see what shows up.

 

[SabreToothedEngineer]

If you remove the small bulkhead in front of the V-berth you might get a visual and perhaps even some access. At least remove the porthole and see what shows up.

I don't have an access port there, and it's not obvious to me how to remove that bulkhead (see photo).

I'd have to rip the carpet off of it at the very least, and I have no idea how it's attached underneath that. Adding one of those round access ports is an idea, though.

 

[ScottFreeRick]

Installed a Lofrans Lion 1000 this spring. I have access through a port in the v berth, but used a grinder with a cut off wheel to remove the shelf. To mount the windlass, I cut the locker door, layered up the underside with several layers of fiberglass. Afterwards glassed the forward section to the locker and mounted the windlass. The hinges were relocated and the door still allows good access to the locker. The locker has sufficient height for chain drop, provided the chain is pulled back mid way during retrieval. I have 100' of 5/16" chain and 150' of rope.

 

[Claude L.-Auger]

I don't have an access port there, and it's not obvious to me how to remove that bulkhead (see photo).View attachment 217480

I'd have to rip the carpet off of it at the very least, and I have no idea how it's attached underneath that. Adding one of those round access ports is an idea, though.

If you remove the vinyl trimming you can easily pull the carpeting aside using a putty knife as it is simply glued on. See 1st pix. 2nd pix shows backboard made of cardboard I installed to fiberglass the enlarged anchor well after cutting off the bottom. I simply

I don't have an access port there, and it's not obvious to me how to remove that bulkhead (see photo).View attachment 217480

I'd have to rip the carpet off of it at the very least, and I have no idea how it's attached underneath that. Adding one of those round access ports is an idea, though.

On mine, once I removed the vinyl trimming, pulling the glued-on carpeting to the side was very easy with the help of a putty knife. The 1st pix shows its simply a fibreglass sheet that holds it in place. The 2nd pix shows the cardboard backwall I installed as a backboard for the fiberglass used in rebuilding the anchor well. It was not hard to remove that cardboard after the fiberglass had cured. I then re-glued the carpeting and vinyl trimming and re-installed the porthole.

 

[SabreToothedEngineer]

Thank you Claude, that's really helpful. I saw your photos before, but now with your description I understand what I'm looking at much better. What is that bulkhead made of, and what's holding it in place? If it's just the carpet, it would be really easy to remove.

I think my first step will be to install one of those access hatches. Then I can get an endoscope up there to see what I'm dealing with.