My boat has lots of storage under the two seats in the salon. It's inconvenient because access requires removing the seat backs then picking up the cushions (which are heavy and contain bottom-stiffening boards). Behind the port-side seat is a low cabin wall, with a passageway on the other side of the wall. This created an opportunity to make that under-seat storage more convenient and accessible, and my wife wanted it as pantry space.
The upgrade required cutting a rear hatch into the space and making a door.
This is the view of the storage space, looking down into it.
This is the view from the port side hull passageway.
My plan was to utilize the cut-out to make a flush door. I made a cutting template and was planning to use a plunge router, but my practice cuts on scrap plywood didn't go well. I consulted with a carpenter and discussed using a jigsaw, but he said I'd get a straighter cut if I used a circular saw (skillsaw). The thought of making a precision plunge cut with a hand-held circular saw on a vertical wall made me break out in sweats, so I hired him to do the cut and he used a special thin kerf blade (about 1/16"). If the cut hadn't gone well I would've used painted hardwood strips glued to the edges of the door to fill in whatever gap was created by the cut. Fortunately It came out pretty well. The paint on the edges matches the other wood trim in the boat (without the need for gap-filling strips).
The upgrade required cutting a rear hatch into the space and making a door.
This is the view of the storage space, looking down into it.
This is the view from the port side hull passageway.
My plan was to utilize the cut-out to make a flush door. I made a cutting template and was planning to use a plunge router, but my practice cuts on scrap plywood didn't go well. I consulted with a carpenter and discussed using a jigsaw, but he said I'd get a straighter cut if I used a circular saw (skillsaw). The thought of making a precision plunge cut with a hand-held circular saw on a vertical wall made me break out in sweats, so I hired him to do the cut and he used a special thin kerf blade (about 1/16"). If the cut hadn't gone well I would've used painted hardwood strips glued to the edges of the door to fill in whatever gap was created by the cut. Fortunately It came out pretty well. The paint on the edges matches the other wood trim in the boat (without the need for gap-filling strips).
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