Chain pipe

guydickinson

guydickinson

Well-Known Member
Joined
21 Aug 2006
Messages
190
Location
Dorset, UK
Visit site
I have just managed to extract the old anchor chain pipe from the foredeck (rusting and making a right mess). Obviously will replace it - but it seems most yachts have their pipes facing aft - mine was facing towards the bow (which is handy when pulling the anchor up as the chain can be fed straight down to the chain locker. I guess facing aft is so you lay the chain on the deck first before letting it out? What is the correct way?! Thanks.
 
I changed mine to face aft and made a tapered wood pad to tilt it,then found that I could pay the chain into cable locker when lifting anchor.
 
[ QUOTE ]
Facing aft so a wave over the bow doesn't fill your chain locker with water!

[/ QUOTE ]

Second this answer ...... Facing fwd is Wrong !!
 
OK, so how do all you "facing aft" guys manage to control the deployment or recovery of the killick from the wheelhouse winch switch ?

Mine's facing forward, and it means that even when using the handraulic lever, the chain goes straight down the locker. I don't have to turn 50 m of chain through 180 degrees !
 
Before I got soft and installed a windlass, I had an aft facing chain pipe and a fairly large diameter s/s sampson post aft of that.The chain was lead out of the chain pipe, around the post and then forward over the bow roller. It all worked very easily and the chain would self stow when hauled in. I only got water inside when the bow plunged under water.

The only objection to it was that the chain locker was too far forward. Moving the locker aft, when I fitted the windlass, improved the trim of the boat noticeably but the vertical chain pipe, directly below the windlass gypsy, allows water in and has to be bunged up with a bit of sponge.
 
My chain pipe faces aft but is in front of the windlass so the chain goes all the way over the top of the gypsy and continues underneath and comes off going forward, then straight down the chain pipe. This works well except for the last few feet which sometimes have to be helped down.
 
I have never had a problem with our forward-facing chain pipe. It has a hinged lid with a cutout that fits the chain, so that when the anchor is stowed the chain pipe is effectively closed off. The only possible snag is the lid falling down when pulling in the anchor chain, so preventing the chain falling into the anchor locker.
 
Mine just points straight up! Couldn't be easier to feed chain into whether hauling by hand or windlass. I do miss the little lid with a slot in it that fell overboard last year tho'. Never found one in a boat jumble yet so I guess most fall overboard in the long run. Oh, and yes, it was tied on, but the lanyard broke!!!!
 
I'd go either way- but if you've got an aft-facing navel-pipe, you absolutely have to have a windlass close by behind it! If you haven't got a windlass, get SWMBO to buy one or something, or buy one as a neccessity, not a luxury! /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif It must be covered by Health Insurance- using an aft-facing pipe without a windlass is not good for the health!
 
Mine goes straight down from the windlass and has a removable cover, atached by a short wire so it doesn't disappear, which locks across a link in the chain and fits over the pipe ..bit like a tin lid with a slot in. No water ingress problems.
 
If you look to the left of the bow roller fitting you will see my chain/rope pipe where the hole for the chain/rope faces aft but the top is hinged to allow the chain/rope to be feed in streight down then closed to reduce the ingress of water. The hole just left of the push buttons is where my windless will fit and the round hole is where the chain from the windless will pass into the chain locker.
web0824.jpg
 
Mine faces aft.

I stand/sit aft of it whilst pulling up the chain over the stem fitting, and the chain goes straight down the pipe. If it faced forward I would not be able to do this!

It also collects water in rough weather as it is. Facing forward would be considerably worse.

BTW no windlass if this is not clear. Rarely find this a problem, although when anchoring in deeper water I can see that it wouldn't take much more before it became more challanging.
 
I had the same problem with my Lofrans Royal installation. The traditional curved pipe cannot be made to work with the chain dropping straight down into the locker. I solved it by fitting an S/S chainpipe "lid" that I found in the Plastimo catalogue. It is side hinged and the lid and surround is notched, so that when the anchor is stowed and the lid closed, the chain comes out the side.
 
You get a little water down as she plunges, then out it comes as she rises - self draining locker. (and it goes up the drainer as well!) fit a "two halves" plug which will pull out and dangle on it's strings when the chain starts to run out? Personally we have a windlass cover which keeps out the worst of the water and protects the machinery. the chain on this boat goes straight down from the back of the gipsy through a hole in the deck. You'll get water down there anyway unless you dry the chain while hauling. If you're seriously going into long-term bow-burying stuff,the anchor can be stowed and the pipe properly sealed for the duration.
 
[ QUOTE ]
OK, so how do all you "facing aft" guys manage to control the deployment or recovery of the killick from the wheelhouse winch switch ?

Mine's facing forward, and it means that even when using the handraulic lever, the chain goes straight down the locker. I don't have to turn 50 m of chain through 180 degrees !

[/ QUOTE ]

How ? Even when handing it by hand - it goes down ok as my naval pipe is actually fwd on the foredeck ... so you would naturally be standing aft of it. If you are using the windlass then it would natuarrly run of the gypsy fwd to the pipe ..... see here >

29-7-99020.jpg
 
[ QUOTE ]
I solved it by fitting an S/S chainpipe "lid" that I found in the Plastimo catalogue.

[/ QUOTE ]

Thanks for that, I'll have a look and see if that might do for my installation.
 
Very useful reading - I'm trying to fit a Lofrans Royal manual windlass feeding 8mm (5/16) chain vertically down into chain locker on an old cat and cannot find any info on the best size/shape/position of chain pipe fitting. Don't want to make it too large because the windlass footprint doesn't leave much room to cut the hole in the adjacent deck. I'm considering an oval shape to get length in right direction but not too much the other way.

Any thoughts on this size and shape of the chain pipe and cover which isn't too expensive? Thanks for any help, John
 
Look on old windlasses, like Simpson-Lawrence etc - those had an opening at right place in the base.
Chain pipe underneath as such is not a necessity, depends where you want the chain to go; as you say vertically then only a hawsepipe is necessary to rim the hole. Can be oval or round, no matter - must be wide enough for chain. http://content.westmarine.com/wm-img/westadvisor/articles/Anchor-Windlasses-3.jpg
Cover for this is just a slotted plate, with a bit of rim under so it sits tight in opening, kept by chain weight.
Another idea is upward protruding rim with cover, chain going in from a side, but personally I think it inconvenient to use with windlass http://www.lfsmarineoutdoor.com/media/catalog/category/322070-sea-dog.jpg

Just google some pictures to get the idea.
For instance http://www.slspares.co.uk/images/Seatiger.jpg
http://www.sailblogs.com/member/svkellyrae/images/img_0456_resize.jpg http://lh5.ggpht.com/-sklAyMrZpEQ/TaLxNyz3BXI/AAAAAAAAHLw/oAz08prPyhI/P7074990.JPG?imgmax=200
 
Rossynant said:
Look on old windlasses, like Simpson-Lawrence etc - those had an opening at right place in the base.
Chain pipe underneath as such is not a necessity, depends where you want the chain to go; as you say vertically then only a hawsepipe is necessary to rim the hole. Can be oval or round, no matter - must be wide enough for chain. http://content.westmarine.com/wm-img/westadvisor/articles/Anchor-Windlasses-3.jpg
Cover for this is just a slotted plate, with a bit of rim under so it sits tight in opening, kept by chain weight.
Another idea is upward protruding rim with cover, chain going in from a side, but personally I think it inconvenient to use with windlass http://www.lfsmarineoutdoor.com/media/catalog/category/322070-sea-dog.jpg

Just google some pictures to get the idea.
For instance http://www.slspares.co.uk/images/Seatiger.jpg
http://www.sailblogs.com/member/svkellyrae/images/img_0456_resize.jpg http://lh5.ggpht.com/-sklAyMrZpEQ/TaLxNyz3BXI/AAAAAAAAHLw/oAz08prPyhI/P7074990.JPG?imgmax=200
Click to expand...

Good answer!

I have a Lofrans Royal with a through-hull fitting (similar to one of these: http://www.asap-supplies.com/marine...bronze-gunmetal-through-hull-skinfittings-bsp ) to conduct the chain vertically down into the chain locker located between the forecabin bunks. When at sea it has a bit of sponge jammed in to keep the water out (one of these days I'll make up a stopper to replace the sponge). There isn't enough clearance room under the Lofrans Royal to allow much of an upstand around the hole. Anyway, it seems to do the job well enough.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Top