Cockpit Locker Modifications

[Tom Hoffman]

Hi everyone.

Finally got to work on the boat for the first time this year. When we got the boat, the two side cockpit locker doors were made from teak and were in very bad shape. I remade them out of Oak, however, they never really looked nice and they leaked to boot.

I was down in Ft. Lauderdale and went into a Boat Salvage yard and noticed some New Hatch Covers that they had for sale. I just wrote down the name and we came home this was Spring last year.

Over the winter, I kept thinking about the covers and so finally decided to order them. I got 4 Tempress 13X30 Cam Latch Covers and just today finally got two of them installed.

I took off the old Oak Locker Doors and cut the openings bigger and then back buttered the hatch covers with 3M 5400 sealent and screwed them in.

Take a look...

This is the port locker after the hole has been re sized.

Here is the Starboard after installation.

Here is the Port installed.

Here is what the under side of the hatch cover looks like.

I am also going to install the other two into the Cockpit seats so we can store Sails, tools etc in the aft end of the quarter berths. My wife and I are too big to ever be able to get into the quarter berths and the back half of them is mostly right now empty space.

It should give us quite a bit more usable space and also easy access.

Have a good evening.

Tom...

 

[cephius (Dave)]

Looks good Tom.

 

[Tom Hoffman]

Thanks Dave, I thought it would only be an hour job to get the first two done. 4 hours later and 6-7 trips up and down the ladder. I was beat. Been building Raised Garden beds for SWMBO today.

 

[Sail123]

I am noticing the window just as much as the mod you did.

Pretty cool idea to get additional light in the area below the cockpit, not to mention ventilation. I just may copy that, if I may.

 

[Tom Hoffman]

I did not do that little window. The boat came like that from the factory. I am not sure it it even opens. I suppose that it use to open. If I wanted to do it, I would be prone to use a solid bronze port hole that could be opned. Just because the cockpit (on my boat) has been full of water up to the lockers almost. That was when the Previous Owner left it out side through an Iowa winter and the water and ice and snow almost filled the cockpit to the top.

 

[Joe11688]

That's a great mod Tom!

I did something similar inside the cabin on the starboard side of my boat. I cut a piece of the rear bulkhead under the Combing where it separates the cabin from the lazarette and I added a short cap rail with rug material adhered to it. This allowed me plenty of space to store my 6.5' whisker pole and my 12' telescopic boat hook. These two items are now tucked behind the companionway bulkhead where you can't see them and they're very accessible.
Another thing I did was omit the mattresses that fit under the cockpit seats. This provides a lot more accessible space for my gear and makes the cabin look a lot less cluttered.
I still have enough room in the cabin for seating and sprawling out with the existing quarter birth mattresses.

I just built that paper towel holder/shelf last month and installed it after I had the boat in the water. You can see the boat hook in that picture sitting on a hook which is attached with Velcro. The whisker Pole is on the other side behind the bulkhead where you can't see it. It too is hanging on a hook.
Joe