As I was cutting more holes in my interior liner the other day (mounting a couple electrical components), I had a curious wondering: What areas (if any) of the liner are important to the structural integrity of the boat?
The simple answer might be that none of it is required, and you could cut out the entire liner without compromising anything. But that can't be quite true - the upper chainplates are often bolted to the liner (as recommended in the C-22 Association manual and other sources). Or if not the chainplates themselves, a least the bulkheads to which the chainplates are bolted. So in that case, the liner seems to be serving some structural purpose, doesn’t it?
I've seen lots of modifications that cut out chunks of the liner, adding doors or drawers to create new storage lockers. E.g.:
--https://stingysailor.com/2014/09/06/under-v-berth-storage-solution-2/
--http://www.catalina27.org/Fleet4/boatleeboards.jpg
Does anyone know just how much is too much? Are there sections of liner we shouldn't mess with? I don't have any immediate plans to cut out big areas, but it seemed like a sensible question to think about while many of us in northern climates are focused on winter projects.
The simple answer might be that none of it is required, and you could cut out the entire liner without compromising anything. But that can't be quite true - the upper chainplates are often bolted to the liner (as recommended in the C-22 Association manual and other sources). Or if not the chainplates themselves, a least the bulkheads to which the chainplates are bolted. So in that case, the liner seems to be serving some structural purpose, doesn’t it?
I've seen lots of modifications that cut out chunks of the liner, adding doors or drawers to create new storage lockers. E.g.:
--https://stingysailor.com/2014/09/06/under-v-berth-storage-solution-2/
--http://www.catalina27.org/Fleet4/boatleeboards.jpg
Does anyone know just how much is too much? Are there sections of liner we shouldn't mess with? I don't have any immediate plans to cut out big areas, but it seemed like a sensible question to think about while many of us in northern climates are focused on winter projects.