V berth venting question

[Fullajoy]

Hi all,

I’m currently working on an old Macgregor Venture 17 and had to rebuild the entire V berth due to the wood having completely rotted out. I’ve templated and cut out the bulkheads and will resin them up tomorrow. I’ve included limber holes on each of the four bulkheads.

I’m a bit unsure as to how I should fit the V berth deck - resin to the tops of the bulkheads and against the hull and tab OR just lay on top and screw into bulkheads. The latter method allows me to more easily remove the deck if I need to in the future. Also should I include any vents on the deck for the bulkhead space?

Any help is appreciated - my wife told me it was a bargain at $500 - $2500 further in....

 

[dlochner]

Welcome to the joy of old boats! As you are learning, cheap boats are expensive.

For those us who are not intimately familiar with V17, a few photos would help. If I were doing this project, I think I'd lean towards screws and glue rather than epoxy and glass to secure the deck.

 

[31seahorse]

Hello fullajoy, +1 on pictures.

Your choice might hinge on how much access (size of opening) you need to the area beneath the V berth and how often you might need that access. What would be under that plywood? Water tank, storage, battery, port-a-potty, through hull openings for depth sounder or other instruments might be some uses for that area. Maybe none of these uses are important to you on a 17 foot daysailer type of boat. Typically V berth areas have "lids" on openings to access the area under them. Those "lids" have finger holes for easy lifting. Some ventilation is necessary for the enclosed area. Vents on the aft bulkhead would be helpful if you fully enclose the top using either method you mentioned. Best Wishes.

 

[capta]

Any help is appreciated - my wife told me it was a bargain at $500 - $2500 further in....

And they say there's no such thing as a free boat. You'll show 'em. lol

 

[Fullajoy]

Thanks - it’s just a bare hull right now but I’ll post a picture once I’ve fitted the bulkheads.

Thanks to all for the feedback!

 

[Fullajoy]

So I finally got three bulkheads filleted and tabbed in today as per the picture. I still have to replace the aft bulkhead of these (visible at the bottom of the picture). At that point I’ll cut out the v-berth edging and try and keep it whole as a deck template to replace it (I left it in play to screw into the tops of my bulkheads to hold them in place).

So when it comes to fitting the deck - should I include some vents? Is it worth thinking now about using some storage space in there? Any advice/help is appreciated.

 

[Gunni]

I wouldn’t place any vents, but I would build the deck with some nice access panels over those partitions.

 

[dlochner]

There appear to be good sized limber holes between the floors, so there is no need to vent between the floors.

Adding a small vent on the last floor to the cabin won't hurt, but I don't think it is necessary, if there are access panels built into the deck. As @Gunni said, the access panels are a good idea for both storage and to periodically inspect and/or clean that area.