This is the shallow chain locker of my h336, before beginning the installation. The maximum depth of the chain locker is 13 inches.

One of my project goals was to keep the chain locker watertight -- no incursion into the cabin with the motor, wire runs, etc.

See Under the Hood

I originally thought I would saw the anchor locker door in half and mount the windlass on the front half of the door, after bracing it underneat and glassing it in. However, I discovered that the anchor locker door on the 336 is nowhere near flat enough.

So I decided to build a wooden frame that would be installed in the anchor locker, on which the windlass would be mounted. I then cut a hole in the locker door to allow the windlass to sit at deck level.

This is a photo of the wooden frame, epoxied and gelcoated with the windlass mounted, and bolted to the boat where the cleats used to be. Note the watertight through-bulkhead fittings for the cables. $29 each, and there are two more through the watertight bulkhead between the cockpit lockers and the cabin.

See A real hawsepipe

I wanted a proper fall for the chain so that I wouldnt have to be sticking my hands into things while the windlass was running. Luckily, I found a neat little locker right under the vee berth that was perfect as an anchor locker, except...

- There was no void space in front of the vee berth bulkhead where the chain could run.

- The space I found for the anchor locker wasnt drained to the bilge.

The photo shows the answer to the first challenge. Thats a 3 inch (OD) aluminum pipe with .25 walls that runs all the way up to the piece of plywood on which the windlass is mounted. The pipe is glassed to the anchor locker topsides (epoxy, cloth, mat) to keep water out of the bedroom. You can see the little L-brackets that I screwed in to support the bottom. Through the access panel you can see the chain locker with the pipe sticking through it a couple of inches.

I installed a little teak trim ring for the pipe at the ceiling.

See Details, details

The anchor locker wasnt drained to the bilge, so I cut a hole through the bulkead and installed a little plastic strainer fitting, then bilgeflex aft to the nearest place I could drop it off.I worred a little about the plastic fitting getting banged up, but I have a combination rode and the rope stack protects the fitting from the chain.

See Chain stack

Through the vee berth access panel (thank you, Hunter) You can see how the chain falls in. I only have 85 feet of 5/16 chain, so the stack is small and tidy.

One challenge is that there is no good place to put an eye for the bitter end. The only good surfaces in there belong the hull, and we arent putting any screws throuh the hull. For the time being I have a stopper on the bitter end (a piece of 2X4) but I have to come up with something better. Ive been thinking about glassing in a padeye.

See Finished product

Heres the windlass with the door back on, except it isnt a door anymore (sigh). Its an access panel with three latches instead of hinges. I could make it a door again by enlarging the opening for the windlass considerably, but I just like how it looks this way.

Sorry I didnt show the wire runs, or the other electrics, but that wasnt really a challenge and I didnt think it was interesting enough to show.

Notice the little fitting on the port side of the deck forward of the windlass. Thats a washdown fitting with a cool little quick-release gadget for the hose. Since the locker is right under where we sleep, I am worried about funky stuff getting down there and stinking up the boat.

For the time being I am washing down with fresh water. If I decide that washing down is using too much fresh water, Ill put in a separate pump.