Assessing the Build Quality of an Anchor Locker – Boating

Opening the anchor-locker hatch and taking a look inside gives you great insight into the quality of a boats build. Courtesy Regulator Marine

Its hidden away under a hatch at the bow, but whats inside can say a lot about your boat. Of course, there are certain things to look for in an anchor locker to help the stowed anchor inside do its job, but it also can reveal much about the quality of your boats construction. Take a look inside the anchor locker shown here, from a Regulator 41, to get an idea of what to look for in a quality build.

Gas-assisted struts or shocks that hold open the hatch are essential for keeping your hands free to work the anchor. The last thing you want in rough seas is to have one hand holding up the hatch while you work inside the locker.

A gasketed hatch ensures a snug fit with the anchor locker and helps prevent rattling or pounding while underway. It also helps prevent water intrusion into the locker from the deck.

The gutter around the lockers opening prevents water intrusion from the deck, and the two drains help the water quickly exit so that it doesnt collect. Pooling water in an anchor locker can cause mildew and damage the anchor line.

Note how Regulator made a cutaway in the locker to access the anchor rode. This is essential to manage any issues with the anchor chain or kinks inthe line that can jam up the works, particularly when dealing with an electric windlass.

Every anchor locker, whether it has a windlass or requires manual deployment of the anchor, should have a chain stop to hold the anchor in place while its being stowed so that it doesnt accidentally cut loose and drop under the boat while youre running.

Not every boat has this, but the Regulator 41 installs a washdown hose in the anchor locker so that you can rinse dirt and debris off the anchor rode and the anchor itself as you haul it in or it gets weighed by the windlass.

While a boat without a windlass can still possibly have a high-quality anchor locker, having one properly installedas shown heresure makes life easier when youre on the water.

Installing a windlass remote allows you to work the anchor from the bow if needed.

Regulator installs a small LED in the anchor locker to help you see inside in low-light conditions.

While many boats still employ a pulpit at the bow of the boat, a lot of high-end builders now fit the bow with a through-stem anchor roller that stows the hook in place at the bow externally. This equipment keeps the anchor and rode out of sight and allows for cleaner lines. This setup also prevents the anchor-rode line from chafing your gunwale topside at the bow.

The hatch on the Regulator is finished, gelcoated fiberglass on both sides, as is the anchor lockers interior, a sure sign of high-quality construction.

Read Next: Remote Anchoring

Looking at a boat as well-built as the Regulator 41, you wont find any rough, unfinished fiberglass when you lift the hatch. You also wont find any exposed, sagging or sloppily run wiring in the anchor locker.

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Assessing the Build Quality of an Anchor Locker - Boating