Forepeak locker

Ken · Jan 5, 2012

In all the years I owned my OS I did nothing with that area, I suppose one could put items there to keep them from prying eyes though.

Honestly I took it for a access point from the stem fitting,bow eye, bow light. (although I moved the bow light to the rail)

sirocovzla · Jan 5, 2012

Yes, I had a coronado 25 ans she have the same and I used to store the anchore rope and installed a winch on deck..and work wonderfull

GorillaToast · Jan 5, 2012

I've thought about using that area for rode storage as well, adding a hawse pipe where the waste pump out access is. But as yet, I can't engineer a way to drain it that is economical, and doesn't involve more holes in the hull. I suppose one could install a plastic bucket fitted with a drain hose that leads down the center of the hull drains to a bilge area with a bilge pump, and....

Otoh, one could also just take the bucket on deck and pour it overboard.

Captain 9330 · Jan 11, 2012

Doc,
I have a 1980 model with the forepeak locker that sports a neat cover endowed with an anchor design cut-out that I took to be factory.

I dressed up the cover by mounting a mirror that blocked the back of the cut-out effectively making the locker closed and increasing the visual space inside the v-berth. In my youthful days, I kept certain things hidden that dates didn't need to see or know about until the appropriate moment. In recent days, it makes a great hiding place for valuables best kept out of sight.

Beyond that, it is not sealed, the bulkhead is single-ply wood and the fiberglass pan ends where the bulkhead attaches. So my own decision was to leave it as a cache site and nothing more. FYI, my rodes and lines are stored in bags on deck in the pulpit area under bungee cords.

Derek

volleyallen · Jan 12, 2012

When I bought my 79 Cat 22 six years ago, (Vera M3) I discovered 20 lbs. of sand bags in the forespeak locker. According to the salesman, the old Salt that used to sail the boat put the sand bags in there to help the boat point into the wind. I have not removed the sand bags and Vera sails very well. Has anyone ever heard of this?

Chris Patterson · Jan 12, 2012

I'm still trying to figure out if we're referring to the forewards most compartment in the boat, or that little area where the bow eye is located.
I currently have a hawse/chain pipe hole in the forward deck, and it will soon be eliminated. I have a couple of those little 4 inch screw in, round whatcha-maycallits that some people use for access after cutting a hole in something; and I hope that will suffice to cover the hole. To me, it's just another leak in the deck. I've previously made my opinion on keeping anchors up front. I know this may be nutty thinking,(a lot of my thinking is), but in the case of a swamping of the boat, and the stern goes down first, that is a BIG vent to purge air through, thereby boat sinking much more rapidly. If it makes any difference. Plus the aerodynamic drag coefficiencies on the hawse pipe can slow you down. Yeah, that was crazy, but it sounded funny to me...
On the sandbag thing, that makes sense to me. On my boats, most of the weight seems to be loaded on the rear. What with engine, fuel tanks, (and fuel), batteries, a helmsman, and generally others sitting in the cockpit area, and not much more than sails, and a couple more ancilliary items stowed up front, simply because it's inconvenient to get to, makes for a heavy stern. If I could convince somebody to stand up front hugging the pulpit like that pretty chic on Titanic, it might help. I'm also considering a heavy figurehead up there, maybe a dragon....

shipwreck66 · Jan 12, 2012

That would explain the derelict boat we were moving that has all the bags of leaking sand in the bow, what a grand mess that was.

txtowman · Jan 12, 2012

I have 2 liter bottles of water under the v-berth, and plan on moving the batteries there also.
I wish Catalina had designed the hull with more bouyancy in the stern because there is a lot of wasted space under the cockpit. I don't store anything in there due to the moisture level.

Bilbo · Jan 15, 2012

volleyallen said:
When I bought my 79 Cat 22 six years ago, (Vera M3) I discovered 20 lbs. of sand bags in the forespeak locker. According to the salesman, the old Salt that used to sail the boat put the sand bags in there to help the boat point into the wind. I have not removed the sand bags and Vera sails very well. Has anyone ever heard of this?

I think that the issue has to do with the original design. The balance of effort between sails, keel and rudder is influenced by the weight distribution. If the basic boat is designed with a balance and this is disrupted by what's added into the stern end...a 60 lb motor, a ~50lb battery, some sort of fuel tank...40lbs and then a few drunk sailors added for dead weight....then the distribution is stern heavy for the center's of effort on those sailing factors. This stern weighted boat also raises the bow which gives the wetted area of the hull more of a teacup shape rather than that of a long canoe and so, it turns a tad easier.

Captain 9330 · Jan 18, 2012

Weight forward

volleyallen said:
When I bought my 79 Cat 22 six years ago, (Vera M3) I discovered 20 lbs. of sand bags in the forespeak locker. According to the salesman, the old Salt that used to sail the boat put the sand bags in there to help the boat point into the wind. I have not removed the sand bags and Vera sails very well. Has anyone ever heard of this?

I discovered on a long motorsail eastbound in Lansdowne Channel in NE Georgian Bay that moving weight forward increased boat speed. I was going along with a buddy boat well matched for speed and my young crew asked to go forward of the mast. With the weight shift forward, the slow gain of the other boat on mine became a slow gain of my boat on the other. Maybe the sand was for similar purpose.

Derek

GorillaToast · Jan 18, 2012

So storing your anchor chain up there would probably be a good thing. Now, just to figure out how to keep it dry.

Bilbo · Jan 18, 2012

The "new Style" 22s have an anchor locker in the foremost part of the bow.