Installing an Anchor Door Tab
	On many boats, the door to the anchor locker is a hatchtype, which can present a problem after you deploy your anchor. Tf you leave the remaining locker line inside the hatch, the door doesn't shut all the way, and can be brok~en if someone steps on the lid. I found a very simple solution to this problem.   1) Cut a hole in the anchor locker lid nearest the front of the boat. To find out what size hole, measure your anchor line. After you've cut the hole, sand the edges smooth to avoid chafing your line.   2) Make a plastic tab out of an old cutting board, or in my case, out of an old hatch cover that someone stepped on and broke. Make sure the bottom of the tab is flat to keep water out.   3) Place the tab over the hole and shape it with a grinder to make the tab fit snugly into the corner of the lid. Drill through the backside of the tab, and through the lid. Fasten with stainless-steel locknut/bolt and washer. Tightf.en so the tab can be opened or closed with moderate force.   4) Now you can deploy your anchor. Open the tab, insert the anchor line into the hole, and close the lid. This will save you broken toes, broken lids, and leaves the deck uncluttered. When not anchoring, just swivel the tab shut and water stays out.   Steve Hicks Home | More Tips