How to Care for Your Anchor Locker and Keep the Chain Running Free

Switch off the windlass breaker. Make the anchor fast on deck with a chain hook, a short line to a cleat or the chain stopper so nothing can run out while you work. Remove the anchor from the bow roller if you will be pulling the whole rode.

Pull the rode out of the locker by hand and lay it in long, straight runs or big loops on the dock. Don't drop it in a heap, and don't drag chain across a concrete dock: Practical Sailor warns that dragging it over rough surfaces wears off the galvanizing and leads to rust. As it comes out, watch for kinks and twists in the chain (hockles) and for rust spots, worn links or stiff, chafed rope. Note anything to replace.

At the bottom of the locker, find how the rode is attached to the boat:

• It should be tied to a strong eye or U-bolt with a lashing of line, not shackled or wired straight to the eye.
• Practical Sailor shows a cable-tied chain as how it should never be done, because you can't release it in an emergency. Their suggested setup is a shackle on the last chain link and a length of rope tied with bowlines, so the crew can slip the knots or cut the line from on deck instead of digging in the locker.
• Make the lashing long enough that, with all the rode out, the knot or line reaches up where you can get to it with a knife. Keep a knife near the locker.

Replace a lashing that is stiff, faded or chafed.

On big ships the chain end is held by a release fitting like this one. On a recreational boat the same idea is done more simply: a line you can untie or cut.

With the locker empty, shine a light in. Scoop out mud, shells and weed. Rinse with fresh water and scrub the floor and walls. Practical Sailor found that salt water left standing in an anchor well evaporates and leaves salt behind, which mixes with bottom mud and turns into a puddle of rust, even on new boats.

Most anchor lockers drain overboard through a small hole or hose near the bottom. Pour in a bucket of water and watch it go. If it pools, clear the drain with a coat hanger or small snake, from inside and from the outside opening. The locker should empty completely when the boat floats at rest. If the drain hose leads into the bilge rather than overboard, or you can't find a drain at all, ask a yard about it.

If you have a vertical windlass, its motor and wiring often hang inside the locker. Look for green corrosion on terminals, a wet motor case or loose wires. Practical Sailor warns that lockers flood in heavy weather and suggests keeping the windlass breaker outside the locker and switched off when not in use. Clean and protect terminals (see /guides/anchor-windlass-care).

Close the locker lid and check it latches firmly and the gasket seals. A loose lid lets in lots of water when the bow buries in waves. Look down the chain pipe for chipped edges or rust. On many boats the chain pipe is open on one side so you can clear a jam; know where yours is before you need it.

With the chain laid out straight, let it untwist. Practical Sailor's cruising trick at sea: let the anchor hang off the bow in calm deep water and let the chain spin free before you bring it up. At the dock, twist sections back by hand until the links lie flat. Rough galvanizing and weld spatter make chain hockle more, so badly worn or lumpy chain may need regalvanizing or replacing.

Consider swapping the chain end for end. Chain doesn't wear evenly: the end that goes out every time usually loses its zinc coating first, while the inboard end rarely leaves the locker. Practical Sailor's ground-tackle advice is to swap all-chain rode end for end once a year so the galvanizing wears evenly, and to regalvanize or replace chain once rust starts to show. They add that chain should only be regalvanized about twice before it's time for new chain. If you swap ends, move the anchor shackle and bitter-end lashing to their new ends and recheck your depth marks in the next step, since they now count from the other end.

Check your depth marks while the rode is laid out. BoatUS suggests marks at a set interval (they like 30 feet; 25 or 50 also work), using colored plastic link inserts, zip-ties, paint or ribbon on rope. If you have a windlass, make sure the markers you choose pass over the gypsy without jamming. Painted marks wear off and make regalvanizing messier, so check them every season. See /guides/anchor-rode-scope for how much to let out.

Look at the shackle between chain and anchor. The pin should be tight and seized with wire. Replace any shackle with worn threads or a bent pin.

On swivels, Practical Sailor is firmly against them, especially stainless ones: they have seen many fail, often with no warning, and a swivel attached straight to the anchor can be bent when the pull comes from the side. Some windlass makers recommend a swivel, so opinions differ. If you use one:

• Pick one whose maker publishes its strength when loaded from the side, not just a straight pull.
• Consider a short length of chain or a shackle between swivel and anchor so it can't be levered sideways.
• Inspect it every time the anchor is on deck, and replace any that is bent. Stainless can't be safely bent back.

Before buying a swivel to cure twisted chain, try the other steps here first.

Feed the rode back into the locker slowly, rope end first if it is a mixed rode, letting it pile loosely in layers. If the locker is shallow, push the pile flat with a gloved hand as it builds so it doesn't cone up under the windlass. BoatUS notes windlass makers want at least about a foot of clear space between the top of the stowed rode and the top of the locker; more is better. If yours has less, keep less rode aboard, or ask a yard about shortening the chain pipe.

Reinstall the anchor, turn the breaker back on, and run out and recover a few feet of chain to check it feeds smoothly. Note the date, the condition of chain and rope, and any parts you replaced in your BoatMend log.