It is a fairly neat and uncluttered fore deck.
Forum wont let me put text in between pics so I will write it all here.

Pic 2. Very good access to chain locker but more than needed plus need to restrain two lids in a breeze.

Pic 3. Spring loaded hinge pins. Unload one and the other does not matter. I could just see my irreplaceable locker lid going for a sail with out me.

Pic 4. Cut them off and drilled them out for bolts with nyloc nuts.

Pic 5. End result still a neat and uncluttered fore deck except for a fairly unobtrusive anchor winch.

Pic 6. I picked this little sucker up off Ebay about 8 years ago for $240. It is a VMH 500 which retailed for $1,100 at the time but I don't think Muir sells them any more. It is missing the chain stripper plate which I could buy from Muirs for more than I paid for the winch. I profiled it from my mates same winch and will fabricate one the same from stainless.

Pic 7. Still full access to anchor and chain with less than half the opening.

Pic 8. Winch handle in high speed/low power position.

Pic 9. Winch handle in high power/low speed position.

Pic 10. Timber back up plate below deck.

Reasons for fitting:-

Though with both lids open, sitting on the deck at rear of locker with feet in it, hand raising of anchor and chain was quite doable, I, like everybody else here, am not as young as I used to be. Even if I was a 19 yo stud, there are times such as when the wind is howling or when the pick is buried in thick mud when the mechanical advantage can make all the difference when hoisting resulting in clean non muddy or bloody hands and a crew member who is not so buggered he needs recovery time before he can do anything else.

That is quite a long sentence and I am surprised "Google" did not pick me up on it or is only Microsoft Word that does that??

The below deck support looks a bit iffy. Specially as a line in the deck running through the middle under the bolting plate is visible. That was probably a join line and would be a weakness. I would be inclined to add a bonded fibreglass reinforcing angle pad under the deck, with tapering edges and an angle shape to spread the load on the deck and the side of the well. Then put your bolting plate over that.

My new Muir storm 1200 is nearly 2 years old now since fitting it to my Adams 12.8 .
it's been up and down about 30 odd times now mainly from the cockpit after fitting a cockpit switch.
It's never failed or tripped the circuit breaker yeT and still going strong.
Reason I fitted it was because the old winch failed just after I brought my new bargain boat!

Southace- Whats the hook on the starbd bow for?

@ Yara. The line is where the deck moulding transitions from solid glass to I think balsa sandwich. The bolts go through the solid glass and is where the moulding changes from deck to anchor locker and therefore a strong point.

The yacht is only 3.7 tonne and the load on the winch is not likely ever to be high as I never use an anchor winch to skull drag a boat up to the anchor. I always motor up to it putting slack in the chain to take up with the winch. The highest load is at the point of breaking the anchor out of the bottom.

If it is stuck hard I then secure the chain on the bow bollard and use the engine to break it out. If it is still holding I take a line from the chain back to a sheet winch and use the power of that.

After that the option is to dive onto the anchor with a trip line (I am too old for that. ) or leave it behind.

Select to expand quote

Yara said..
Southace- Whats the hook on the starbd bow for?

It's for a garden anchor which now lives firmly in my mates garden. I can see repairs to the bow which was caused by this useless devise!