Why is there a 1 cm hole in the left side of my bow ?

[Ben Dockrell 22]

About one centimetre in diameter and halfway down the bow.

Perfectly round and reveals the hull to be about one centimetre thick at the bow.

What would go there then ?

Also when i first got here there was no insects about but now there are ants and small spiders making a home along the external area of my boat while last night an ant paid the highest price it could ever pay when i saw it going along the wooden rail area towards my sleeping quarters. I will get a large amount of insect netting to place over the boat.

 

[Giblets]

About one centimetre in diameter and halfway down the bow.

What would go there then ?

Anchor locker drain?

 

[stuey_two]

Could it be a drain hole for your anchor locker?
Bugger, Giblets beat me to it!!

 

[V1701]

Spiders are your friends...

 

[prv]

What's on the other side of it? (the opposite side from the sea)

Anchor locker drain is the obvious answer, as mentioned, except that I wouldn't necessarily expect an elderly 22-footer to have a self-draining anchor locker.

Pete

 

[BarryH]

I have an elderly 23 footer and that has an anchor locker drain......why wouldn't it?

 

[tom_sail]

I am getting ants in my pants thinking about a hole that big in my bow! Any amount of chop and your boat will sink in seconds!

Maybe they're not ants but fibreglass mites? little critters that chew GRP. A bit like wood worm?

On the other hand may just be an anchor locker drain hole.

 

[Giblets]

I have an elderly 23 footer and that has an anchor locker drain......why wouldn't it?

Ditto on my elderly 17 footer!

 

[Seajet]

What's on the other side of it? (the opposite side from the sea)

Anchor locker drain is the obvious answer, as mentioned, except that I wouldn't necessarily expect an elderly 22-footer to have a self-draining anchor locker.

Pete

My A22 is about the same age as the Dockrell 22, a 1973 design, mine was made in 1977; she has the standard anchor well with a lid, and a drain hole to starboard.

She is no.119, boats around 130 onwards have an anchor locker drain both sides of the bow; one can tell deliberate, designed in drains as the gelcoat follows and protects the grp, not like a hole drilled later.

Incidentally I found out the hard way in our first season that it's a good idea to put alloy sheet or something malleable inside the locker to protect the grp, along with a quickly releasible elastic to keep the anchor in place to prevent it bashing the boat from inside out.

 

[prv]

I have an elderly 23 footer and that has an anchor locker drain......why wouldn't it?

Cos a lot of boats of a certain age (mine included) stow the anchor on deck with just a navel pipe to a chain locker below, draining (if at all) into the bilge.

Pete

 

[Ben Dockrell 22]

https://profile.live.com/cid-89bff6...61CEECF1CBE&id=89BFF61CEECF1CBE!107&sc=photos

links to new pics of my dockrell.

could,nt be arsed to wait for admins moderator approval im getting older

 

[prv]

https://profile.live.com/cid-89bff6...61CEECF1CBE&id=89BFF61CEECF1CBE!107&sc=photos

links to new pics of my dockrell.

could,nt be arsed to wait for admins moderator approval im getting older

Good call on putting the pics somewhere else rather than the clunky YBW albums, but I'm afraid I can't follow that link as it wants a Windows Live password.

Pete

 

[Ben Dockrell 22]

ok i made the album public!!


sorry microsoft hotmail, bit embarrasing, one has to make do!

 

[sarabande]

Ben D - that link still doesn't seem to work for me - sorry but....

 

[Reptile Smile]

Still requiring a password for me...

 

[Ben Dockrell 22]

I deleted this from my computer and its only got the pics on the profile so here is the email and password.

and of course i would never do this with a profile that had personal info so again no worries.

s80ts@hotmail.co.uk


u0ifrBkZw2x0y.

 

[knuterikt]

I deleted this from my computer and its only got the pics on the profile so here is the email and password.

and of course i would never do this with a profile that had personal info so again no worries.

s80ts@hotmail.co.uk


u0ifrBkZw2x0y.

There are other picture hosting services that are free and easy to use
I'm using www.photobucket.com
Can use

to embed the pic's in the post

Looks like an anchor locker drain hole

This is from the inside?

 

[status]

Maybe they're not ants but fibreglass mites? little critters that chew GRP. A bit like wood worm?

I was of the opinion the late great Des Sleightholm was a world expert on the Polyestermite and would have been able to quickly identify a burrow, rest his soul!

 

[Ben Dockrell 22]

From what i can gather he may have made a little mistake on some of them there polyestermites.

This one was bigger and knew how to use a drill !

On a more contemplative note the hole is round though there is no anchor locker ? the top bow area is in one peice and looks as if its never been altered since the boat was originally constructed.

Perhaps the previous owners wanted to test the water temperture and wind direction so made this hole to put their finger out to test them


All i can think of is the anchor locker builder was in an very early stage of construction when they were distracted or went off the idea or they gave up sailing altogether or they had some other idea in mind.

 

[VicS]

From what i can gather he may have made a little mistake on some of them there polyestermites.

This one was bigger and knew how to use a drill !

On a more contemplative note the hole is round though there is no anchor locker ? the top bow area is in one peice and looks as if its never been altered since the boat was originally constructed.

Perhaps the previous owners wanted to test the water temperture and wind direction so made this hole to put their finger out to test them


All i can think of is the anchor locker builder was in an very early stage of construction when they were distracted or went off the idea or they gave up sailing altogether or they had some other idea in mind.

Everybody suggests anchor locker drain but surely its the drain for the chain locker ? Is that not where the anchor chain stows ?

If so the fact that water will tend to enter will mean that the chain in the bottom will always have water swilling around it and rust quickly

Id make a false loose bottom to fit a few inches above the drain hole to keep the chain out of the water.