Under the captains chair there is a locker that stores the gas tank, steering cables etc...
The previous owner had some pieces of wood siliconed around the edge that I assumed was for a shelf. This would divide up that area to allow for better use of that space. I want to store my Butane (for the stove) and Propane (for the BBQ) in this vented area. It gets these potential dangers out of the cabin.
What I wanted was a shelf that would still serve its purpose and also allow for easy access to the bottom of the locker. I decided on a three panel shelf. I made a prototype out of cardboard and then transferred the dimensions into a CAD program and had a waterjet cut the shelves out of 1/4" aluminum as well as a second shelf out of 1/8" aluminum just in case. In the last pic you can see the three shelf design. It works very well with no sag or movement. The back piece has a small lip under it that helps support the forward two pieces.
Next, I didn't want to have to remove one of the sections of the shelf every time I had to open or close the vent on the gas tank which is under the shelf. I used a couple of pieces of plastic conduit and made a tool that extends up through the shelf (pics 4 and 5). When I had the waterjet cut out the shelves, I added a hole to secure the vent tool. You can see it poking up in the third pic.
In order to store the gasses and have them secure, I used some 2 1/2" Styrofoam. I wanted to store 2 Butane bottles and 3 Propane cylinders. I made a drawing in CAD and had a CNC router machine out the pockets to hold the bottles. I then used some double sided tape to secure the Styrofoam to the shelf.
The last pic shows the Styrofoam storage holding the bottles in place and was taken outside the locker. I used this set up last year and it worked very well. I am considering going to a 11lb propane bottle which will require some modification to this design.
The previous owner had some pieces of wood siliconed around the edge that I assumed was for a shelf. This would divide up that area to allow for better use of that space. I want to store my Butane (for the stove) and Propane (for the BBQ) in this vented area. It gets these potential dangers out of the cabin.
What I wanted was a shelf that would still serve its purpose and also allow for easy access to the bottom of the locker. I decided on a three panel shelf. I made a prototype out of cardboard and then transferred the dimensions into a CAD program and had a waterjet cut the shelves out of 1/4" aluminum as well as a second shelf out of 1/8" aluminum just in case. In the last pic you can see the three shelf design. It works very well with no sag or movement. The back piece has a small lip under it that helps support the forward two pieces.
Next, I didn't want to have to remove one of the sections of the shelf every time I had to open or close the vent on the gas tank which is under the shelf. I used a couple of pieces of plastic conduit and made a tool that extends up through the shelf (pics 4 and 5). When I had the waterjet cut out the shelves, I added a hole to secure the vent tool. You can see it poking up in the third pic.
In order to store the gasses and have them secure, I used some 2 1/2" Styrofoam. I wanted to store 2 Butane bottles and 3 Propane cylinders. I made a drawing in CAD and had a CNC router machine out the pockets to hold the bottles. I then used some double sided tape to secure the Styrofoam to the shelf.
The last pic shows the Styrofoam storage holding the bottles in place and was taken outside the locker. I used this set up last year and it worked very well. I am considering going to a 11lb propane bottle which will require some modification to this design.
