cleaning anchor locker and rode.....

CliffA

Well-Known Member
Dec 29, 2009
4,712
Lake Norman, NC
Boat Info
2001 Sea Ray 340DA
Name: 'Happy Place'
4.5kW West. Generator
Purchased Nov. 2014
Fresh Water Use
Engines
Twin Merc. 6.2L (MPI)
640 hp (Total)
Raw Water Cooled
V-Drive Transmissions
I want to clean my boat's anchor locker and rope rode....I thought about lowering the anchor while my boat is in its slip and let out all of the rode there also with the windlass.....the depth of the water at the anchor in my slip is probably around 10'...once the anchor and rode are out of the locker I can use a small pressure washer to clean the locker and insure the drains are open....then as I pull the rode back into the locker with the windlass I can use the pressure washer to clean the rode.....

does anyone see an issue with this?.....will the rope rode get too twisted if I just let it fall to the bottom of the lake in front of my boat?.....

thanks....
cliff
 
The rode will be fine... I have dropped mine at my dock to clean the rode.... I have never cleaned the locker... I guess I should put that on the list... Low on the list... My sock draw needs to be rearranged first...
 
  • Like
Reactions: AFD
The rode will be fine... I have dropped mine at my dock to clean the rode.... I have never cleaned the locker... I guess I should put that on the list... Low on the list... My sock draw needs to be rearranged first...


......:).......

I am going to change both deck foot switches for the windlass so I thought it would be a good time to clean everything anchor related.....

cliff
 
I clean my rode like that all the time. My current one is all chain, and my old boat had a combination of rope chain. Never had a problem with either coiling back in locker after dropping it all out in the slip to clean.
 
I think that would work fine. I also (on my old boat and even the 185) go out and drag my anchor line (anchor in boat and bitter end dragging in the water) occasionally, it untwists the 3 strand rope and makes it coil better.
 
I just changed my chain/rope and if I had to remove it to do something else I would drop the chain/anchor into the water but I would just pull the rope out and place it on the dock.

That's quite a bit of rope to get wet just to attempt to dry out in an enclosed locker.
 
I'll be interested in how that works out Cliff, I need to probably do the same thing, both for cleaning, and untangling the rode along the way...

We had to deploy an extra anchor on the raft up at BI this past weekend at midnight during a bad wind shift, and my boat was on the up wind end so it made sense for me to put one out, (actually we added a stern anchor too). The chain was fine, but about 100 feet into the three strand was a pretty nasty twist/knot. Fortunately it was enough for what we were doing, but I wouldn't want to be in deep water and not be able to let out enough scope. I guess I usually anchor in relatively shallow water, and typically don't need much more than than the chain, and a little nylon for shock absorption. I'm glad we were trying to let out a lot of scope, because otherwise I still wouldn't know there was a nasty mess in the line.
 
I did this last year. My bow pulpit is very close to the dock. It took 2 people, but I let the chain pay out and my dock mate pulled and piled it on the dock. The amount of mud in the bottom of the locker was unbelievable. Inches of mud in the bottom of the locker. Just pull your boat so the bow is up close and out you go.
 
I hose mine out with the rode in the locker. Don't use a pressure washer, just the dock hose. It's pretty clean looking without all the fuss of deploying the anchor.
 
I put a trash can with water and fabric softener on a marina float and drop everything into that, then hose out the locker. You are right to be concerned as the mud will clog the drains. I like my excess water going overboard.

Bryan
 
I was successful at cleaning the anchor locker this past WE and I installed two new foot switches for the windlass....things went pretty well overall....I have 200' of rope rode and 25' of chain rode......I attempted to use the windlass to dump all of the rode overboard while docked in my slip so I could clean the anchor locker with a small pressure washer.....I got about 2/3's of the rode out but then the remaining 1/3 was very twisted and was knotting up and would not feed through the windlass.....so I just manually pulled the remaining rode out of the locker and laid it on the deck....I used the pressure washer to clean the locker and make sure the two drains in the bottom of the locker were open and also the drain at the top of the locker......there was a couple inches of mud in the bottom of the locker....for some reason the drains in the locker are not located at the bottom....they are located an inch or two above the bottom of the locker.....so for those of us who boat in water with a muddy bottom we can expect mud off of the rode and anchor to settle into the space between the locker bottom and the drains.....

so now that I know mud can easily accumulate in the bottom of the locker I will make it a point to clean it out on a regular basis....

now I need to figure out the easiest way to untangle the section of rode that is twisted.....I am open to ideas if anyone has any.....

installing the new deck switches was straight forward....I used some plastic tie straps to keep the wires from dropping into the anchor locker.....there was just enough slack in the wires to lift the old switches out of the deck so that the wire connection on the bottom could be reached.....the new switches work great....now I need to see if I can locate a repair kit for the windlass tension finger....I have to use the butt end of a screwdriver now to put pressure on the finger to keep the rope from slipping on the windlass while retrieving the anchor....

cliff
 
Cliff -
Try dragging the twisted rode - just lay it out when you go for one of your brunch cruises, after an hour it will be straight.

As far as the windless finger, I remember breaking one of those, at the time I called the distributed for Lofrans (www.imtra.com) they sent me a new finger, spring and bolt. It was a long time ago, so I am not sure what the availability of those is currently.
 
I use one of those expanding 50' hoses, which we attached to hose connection in the transom locker... We wash down the chain and anchor every time we raise the anchor... Cliff, since you pointed out that there may be mud in the locker, I might clean my locker too...
 
I haul my boat every year and store it at home on blocks and stands. Cleaning all the rode and locker is done every time it gets home. Drop it in driveway and wash in fabric softener then dry in sun on driveway wash out locker and spray with obex because I hate anything that smells store everything going back in locker for Winter, clean and dry
 
I was successful at cleaning the anchor locker this past WE and I installed two new foot switches for the windlass....things went pretty well overall....I have 200' of rope rode and 25' of chain rode......I attempted to use the windlass to dump all of the rode overboard while docked in my slip so I could clean the anchor locker with a small pressure washer.....I got about 2/3's of the rode out but then the remaining 1/3 was very twisted and was knotting up and would not feed through the windlass.....so I just manually pulled the remaining rode out of the locker and laid it on the deck....I used the pressure washer to clean the locker and make sure the two drains in the bottom of the locker were open and also the drain at the top of the locker......there was a couple inches of mud in the bottom of the locker....for some reason the drains in the locker are not located at the bottom....they are located an inch or two above the bottom of the locker.....so for those of us who boat in water with a muddy bottom we can expect mud off of the rode and anchor to settle into the space between the locker bottom and the drains.....

so now that I know mud can easily accumulate in the bottom of the locker I will make it a point to clean it out on a regular basis....

now I need to figure out the easiest way to untangle the section of rode that is twisted.....I am open to ideas if anyone has any.....

installing the new deck switches was straight forward....I used some plastic tie straps to keep the wires from dropping into the anchor locker.....there was just enough slack in the wires to lift the old switches out of the deck so that the wire connection on the bottom could be reached.....the new switches work great....now I need to see if I can locate a repair kit for the windlass tension finger....I have to use the butt end of a screwdriver now to put pressure on the finger to keep the rope from slipping on the windlass while retrieving the anchor....

cliff
Do you have a swivel on your rode? If so, take the boat to a place on the water where you can deploy the entire length of the rode horizontally. Gradually retrieve it and the swivel should allow the twists to self correct as you pull the rode back into the locker. You should hose the mud off the chain before it feeds into the locker.
 
Do you have a swivel on your rode? If so, take the boat to a place on the water where you can deploy the entire length of the rode horizontally. Gradually retrieve it and the swivel should allow the twists to self correct as you pull the rode back into the locker. You should hose the mud off the chain before it feeds into the locker.


i do have an anchor swivel.....our lake is a little over 100' at the deepest part but i have 200' of rope and 25' of chain....so i can't let out the entire length of the rode...

good idea though....

cliff
 
i do have an anchor swivel.....our lake is a little over 100' at the deepest part but i have 200' of rope and 25' of chain....so i can't let out the entire length of the rode...

good idea though....

cliff
Sure you can let it all out. Just back down until you reach the bitter end. Then retrieve it. We will put out over 100 feet sometimes in just 9 feet of water if the wind is really blowing.
 
Sure you can let it all out. Just back down until you reach the bitter end. Then retrieve it. We will put out over 100 feet sometimes in just 9 feet of water if the wind is really blowing.


i'll give that a try....if I can get the twisted section of rope to pass through the gypsy...

thanks....

cliff
 
Do you have a swivel on your rode? If so, take the boat to a place on the water where you can deploy the entire length of the rode horizontally. Gradually retrieve it and the swivel should allow the twists to self correct as you pull the rode back into the locker. You should hose the mud off the chain before it feeds into the locker.
That's part of my routine at the start of every season.
 
Weekday chore. Find a big spot where you can reverse for a while and let it all out. It needs to "relax" back to it's original twist with no strain on it. I have had that issue for years on our last boat, 200' 5/8" rope only.
 

Forum statistics

Threads
112,945
Messages
1,422,753
Members
60,928
Latest member
rkaleda
Back
Top