stinky anchor line

[trpsurf]

I recently replaced my anchor line with 300' of 3 strand nylon line. The anchor line works great, but on our trip to Catalina this weekend we noticed the mildew/ musty smell in the cabin emanating from the anchor line. I pulled it all out when we got back to the dock and it is clear that the water can drain out, but that the nylon simply stay damp and gets mildew.

The strange part is that we never noticed this with our former anchor line, which was the same product.

Has anyone dealt with this problem or figured out how to get rid of the smell? I would hate to have to trade mildew smell for Frabreze smell every time we go out.

Thanks,
Tim

C-Pelican

[ghone]

Hi really only 2 solutions. Keep the rode in a bag on deck or bulkhead off the anchor locker with an acces hatch. This is the better solution and is done on the new cd's. More civilised.

[Sunbeam]

Looking at my anchor locker drain (on my 22), I noticed that it's around 1/2" higher than the bottom of the locker. So in other words, up to 1/2" of water could sit there and not drain. Ugh, mildew factory.

I plan to fix this by slightly enlarging the drain hole, but maybe mine is not the only 22 like this? If yours is the same, maybe an interim solution would be to have some sort of grid to hold the rode out of any residual water/mud most of the time. Maybe Dri-Dek would work.

(Admittedly this doesn't explain why your new rode would behave differently than your old one... )

[jerry97230]

I have noticed that my drain is also about a half inch high. I plan on taking off the outside trim and try reaming out the hole to make it lower. If that does not work I may try raising the bottom up a bit
Jerry

[Will-C]

We pull our rode out and soak it in a galvinized tub with some fabric softner for a few days and then take it out and let it dry out stretched out in the sun. Then wipe the anchor locker with some bleach. Spray with Febreeze reinstall rode in anchor locker. Raise the bottom of the anchor locker to be even with the drain. Maybe cut some star board or complete encapsulate some plywood with epoxy after you cut it to fit the bottom of the anchor locker and squeeze self mixing epoxy around the outside to hold it in place and so water can not lay along side your spacer. Close off your anchor locker with a door.
D.D.

[thataway]

What diameter line? Is the locker too crowded? I like to put a teak grating in the bottom of the anchor locker, so there is ventilation and circulation of air around the line. Never had this problem in over 60 years of owning boats....If it is a problem continuously, then let the line dry on the deck before putting below. Another option is to wash it with fresh water when you get back to the dock.

Although I have had a number of bulkheaded off anchor lockers, I think that this decreases air circulation--Make sure the drain is in the bottom, and put in a grating.

[ghone]

I have a bulkhead with access hatch and made sure the factory had sealed the drain as was a problem in some years. It was done very well. Sealed and care taken to bond all around the bulkhead. I too am concerned about airflow in here so put a square of dri deck in the bottom of the locker to hold the rode clear of the bottom and did not fill the old hawse pipe when I installed the windlass. Lots of air goes thru the locker and no smell.

[Robert H. Wilkinson]

On my Stingray there was a small triangular area at the bottom of the locker that extended slightly below the drain. I stuck a piece of garden hose in the drain and filled the void with resin. When it was dry I removed the piece of hose, faired the edge of the resin around the drain a bit - now theres no place for water to sit.

I screwed 4 small hooks into the plywood that separates the locker from the cuddy (near the top of the locker). My rode I separated into 50' coils that I hang using velcro straps. They are also colour coded so I know which coil to grab first and which ones go with the primary/secondary.

I find this system helps keep the rode dry(er) and also keeps the locker organized. Have you ever gone for your anchor in an emergency and come up with a jumbled mess of knots? Have you ever tried to figure out how to undo a mess of knots with a 15 pounder half way to the bottom?

Also like DD said, whenever possible I lay my rode out in the sun to dry it out. Just make sure anything you use to clean or deodorize such as bleach does not affect the integrity of your rode.

Regards, Rob

[rogerbum]

[thataway]

Although I have cleaned some dock lines with bleach--I would be carefully doing this with anchor rodes. There is some evidence that there is some miminal strength loss after bleach cleaning (10%), but it may be cumulative.

The brand and type of rope have a lot to do with hockles and knots. The cheaper lines tend to do this more. I agree that leaving the line fall (without crowding) in an anchor locker will allow it to run freely. However, if you have a lot of chain, you can get "chain tosses", and that can lead to a real mess (we kept a tarp on the bunk in our forward cabin, so we could pull the chain out if that happened after an ocean passage.

[Robert H. Wilkinson]

Roger - agree with you and Bob but the reason I came up with my system is I carry both my primary and secondary in the locker. The secondary(10pd) goes in first followed by its chain then its rode hung on the 1 side. The primary(15pd) goes in on top of it followed by its chain then its rode hung on the opposite side. I also carry a 3pd PWC anchor in the cockpit as a "throwable" stern tie. Without some kind of organization it became quite a mess after bouncing around on Lake Erie for a while. Maybe like Bob said - the chain and rope bouncing around together?

This is just my theory but I think some ropes - if they are piled randomly when wet and allowed to dry - some of the tight coils may take a "set" which may be the source of some tangling problems.

A funny story - I met an electrician once that told me if they coiled and neatly hung their extension cords in the back of their truck at night - they would almost certainly get stolen. If they threw them on the floor and made it look like they were all tangled up they were usually still there in the morning!

Regards, Rob

[SEA3PO]

I use Wet Suit wash....buy it at dive shops....it will not harm anything and will get the most horrific smells out....ask any diver.
Only takes about a 10 minute soak when you get home...and dry before you put it back into the locker..

I took a years worth of decaying breakfast (dog treats) smell out of my life jacket using it .....tried everything else but only wet suit cleaner worked. Susan will forever remember and remind me about not putting things in my pockets.

Joel
SEA3PO

[SEA3PO]

The other product that will take smells out of things is called Pure Citrus....it comes from Home Depot is in a small tub and is what truckers use to de-stink their cargo containers when they haul fish and stinky stuff...works like magic....I used to to take smoke smell out of a set of old leathers I was given....and it worked amazingly well.

We use it at the cabin when it is closed for months...gives the joint a nice fresh smell... I have used it in used cars that came from smokers and it really does work...plus it is only a few dollars...what a deal.

Joel
SEA3PO

[breausaw]

Why don't you seal up the locker then install the largest dropdown slam hatch that fits. that way you can seal the offending stench in the locker.