chain retrieval 2003 bavaria 49

[larry cross]

The chain locker is too small for 300 ft of chain and constantly bunches up under windlass mounting plate.  Has anyone experienced this and found a solution?  Does the manufacturer have a fix?

[Yngmar]

A wooden stick kept in the anchor locker to knock over the pile. Actually I went from knocking over the pile to simply waving the stick around under the windlass shelf while the chain comes up, which distributes the chain around the locker and thus avoids any piles. Less work than knocking over a big pile, which led to a snapped off stick once

Some folk install a plastic cone (traffic cone) where the chain comes down. Not tried that, not sure how well it would work.

Another fix is to carry less chain! Although at 70m we have the problem too.

Stainless chain is supposedly more slippery and piles up less, but is more expensive, along with other downsides.

[Symphony]

300ft is an awful lot of chain, and I assume it is 10mm which is very bulky. That really is not necessary. 50m of chain plus rope is more common, unless you habitually anchor in deep water.

So, possibilities to reduce bulk are to either reduce the amount of chain and splice 16mm rope onto the end if you need the extra length, or reduce the size of chain to a higher grade 8mm.

However this is unlikely to have much effect on the piling when raising the chain - that is just a natural property of link chains. As suggested, stainless chain is more slippery and does not pile so badly, but it is very expensive. The use of a deflector such as a cone can work, but of course further reduces the volume of the locker.

Most people do what yngmar does - stop hauling and knock the pile over when it gets too big. There isn't a "fix" nor is the problem unique to Bavaria. Just about all modern boats are the same and it is a consequence of the design which pushes the anchor locker so far forward (to maximise interior space) so there is not enough volume or depth to allow for the free fall of chain.

[elias]

Same thing here on bavaria 44 '03. I ve seen some boats to move the windlass on the desck surface and creating a new base for it upper level than previously... But i think using the stick is much more easier...

[IslandAlchemy]

That's a lot of chain.  I have the same boat and have 60m chain which works fine.  I do have to stop the windlass every 10m or so and reach in to push the pile over though.