Canvas Deck Pipe Cover

Phoenix came with a vertical Ideal Windlass with matching deck pipe. She came with an ipe deck spacer for the windlass, and Bill made a teak riser for the deck pipe to align the chain feed with the windlass.

The deck pipe does a great job of feeding the chain down below, but it's missing the chain cover plate so the hole allows water into the anchor locker when it rains.



Our Ideal Windlass and Deck Pipe



The Missing Chain Cover

This could be an issue in the future when we encounter big swells, but with our bow flair and free board this hasn't been an issue to date. Neither of us could justify paying $100 for a new cover plate, so we decided to make a canvas cover for the deck pipe out of some Sunbrella scrap left over from previous projects.

I searched online for pattern ideas, and the best I could find was a reference to making a bonnet-like design. Since I've never made a bonnet before, I went with something a little closer to home and opted for a design more reminiscent of a winch cover. Not that I've ever made a winch cover (we're of the camp that they don't really need covers), but I used a similar design to make a cover for our binnacle compass.




Sunbrella compass cover

The cover was really quite easy to make. Using a compass I drew a circle for the top, then added my seam allowances. The base was a trapezoid with the top measuring the circumference of my Sunbrella circle and the bottom the circumference of my teak riser, plus hem allowances. Unlike a winch or compass cover where the vertical seam is closed, I wanted this one open to fit around the anchor chain, so I needed to add enough for a finished hem. When sewn together, I wanted a slight overlap in the fabric with the flap facing aft, in case we get any deck wash over the bow. And I cut a separate piece of Sunbrella to sew a Velcro strap along the base edge of my cover to keep it in place and secure it under the chain.




Circle layout for the top



Hem line marked and fabric notched to make it easer to sew around the curve

Cut out for the base

Velcro tab added to secure under the anchor chain.



Deck pipe cover in place and ready for action

Water leaks are a thing of the past

A quick tip for those of you like me who use a lot of staples when you're sewing with Sunbrella or other canvas material. I like to keep a bottle opener on hand when working with canvas -- it makes staple removal a breeze and doesn't mar the fabric!