Hidden spaces...

[toddster]

I was a bit more paranoid about chopping up the liner. However I did need to access the hidden space within to set screws into my new joinery. It seems to me that the liner might add significant stiffness to the boat and those spaces behind might provide significant flotation. This notion was reinforced a bit by the fact that when I cut into those spaces, they were as clean and fresh-looking as the day they were closed, 41 years ago. No sign that water or mold or dust had ever gained entrance. I wanted to preserve that integrity as much as possible, even if some day I feel the urge to stuff extra... well, "stuff" in there. Here's my solution:



Sorry about the sideways phone pics. The 8" deck plates were $17 at WM. Another $1 for the fasteners and caulk. O-ring sealed hatches. With three of them, I can reach most of the hidden space behind the settees and the q-berth. Hopefully that space will remain dust-free and water-tight. It could be very useful.

edit: Well, in fact they are not water-tight - at least the starboard one is open to the aft lazarette spaces. Don't know how it stays clean like that.

 

[donaldd]

on my e28+ I realized that at least 2 cubic feet of starboard settee was not being filled with water tank. I was able to cut in from top and create an additional storage locker. On my boat the tank is mounted as far forward as possible, leaving my new locker near the electrical panel. This is also a great space to run new wiring and to have serviceable connections.

 

[adam]

I finally remembered to take some pictures of the hack job the PO did to the back of the settees. At least it is covered most of the time. Identical on the starboard side.

I also thinking about adding storage space back there. I finally had the guts to pull one of my backrests off. I thought it was glued in place, but it turned out the plywood was only held in place with velcro. It's heavy duty velcro though as I had to pull pretty hard to get it loose.

Note - I do see screw holes along the top so I'm guessing it may have originally been screwed into place.

A couple of questions:

1) I'm considering making smaller cutouts than todd's PO did and _not_ having the hinged access doors. What do you think?

2) I'm also considering adding hinges to the backrest themselves so it's much easier to get access to the space. Thoughts? And if I do hinge the backrests, any thoughts on how to latch it at the top - velcro again or something else?

 

[toddster]

Well, you can see what I did last year, above a couple of posts. A ten-minute project. Now some of that space is full of consumables and spares, but most is still not used. The diameter of the deck plates limit what you can stick in there, which is both good and bad. There is really a lot of space in there on the starboard side, especially back toward the q-berth. I find myself toying with the idea of building toolbox drawers that would slide into that space. Just arms-reach from the engine compartment. Got enough projects for this winter already tho...

The port side is shallower, which is fine, because there is already too much weight to port. It does seem like a good place to store something like a rolled-up chart collection. My NMEA 0183 wiring is over-flowing its allotted space, so I'll probably set a plastic junction box flush into the port settee back. All the little "black box" electronics that don't need daily access can go in there, along with all of the associated terminal strips.

Depending on the thickness of whatever hardware you put back there, you might need to adjust the fastening of the settee backs. I'd think that velcro would be the easiest solution, but you might need to add some furring strips to keep it flat. Or just pads at the attachment points.

The space might also be more useful if it were divided vertically - that is, fit a horizontal divider midway up. It would have to fit the curve of the hull tho - pretty tricky. Of course if you have something lightweight and bulky that can fill the whole space, then it's perfect as is. Sailcovers? Fenders? Tarps? Wetsuits?

 

[Christian Williams]

The big open spaces on the 32-3 are under the two opening cockpit seats. They're also, in my opinion, the most problematical. Anything in there--spare anchor, sheets and lines, emergency steering gear, boat canvas--has a fair chance of winding up wrapped around the steering quadrant, which is right where gravity sits waiting with its catcher's mitt.

I need to get in there and tab in a level base with big fiddles, or engineer some sort of a heavy bag open under the hatch mouth to contain any gear dropped in.

 

[toddster]

The big open spaces on the 32-3 are under the two opening cockpit seats. They're also, in my opinion, the most problematical. Anything in there--spare anchor, sheets and lines, emergency steering gear, boat canvas--has a fair chance of winding up wrapped around the steering quadrant, which is right where gravity sits waiting with its catcher's mitt.

I need to get in there and tab in a level base with big fiddles, or engineer some sort of a heavy bag open under the hatch mouth to contain any gear dropped in.

Ah, well those spaces aren't really hidden. They're obvious. Too obvious. On the e29, there is already too much weight on the port side. That big empty sail locker on the port side must be resisted. I had some thought of installing dividers and organizers in there, but the other problem is that I have to crawl in there too often - to work on the exhaust system, or the water heater, or cockpit instruments, or the blower, or etc. Everything that's in there has to come out into the cockpit. Frequently. I just have a piece of plywood in there as a floor. The inboard edge rests on a cleat and the outboard edge fits the curve of the hull, and just wedges against it. There is space to stow something underneath it, but I never do. As you mention, small objects within could roll down into the no-man's land behind the battery compartment.

There is room to reach around to the aft of the sail locker and stuff the fenders inside the transom. As long as they don't go too far. I also installed a deck plate in the liner at the transom though, so I could reach in and get to the bolts for the traveller and the boarding ladder. So I guess that's another hidden space. Inside the transom.

And yet another hidden, if not particularly useful E29 space: Inside the starboard cockpit combing. The PO installed a deck plate in the overhead of the q-berth to reach inside there and access bolts for winches and cleats. I would probably have put it in the side of the combing. Or installed a recessed "glove box" that could be removed to get at the space behind. The port side is open to the sail locker, but still sort of wasted.

And on some boats that I've seen, the wedge-shaped "pedestal" beneath the galley is sealed off. Mine came with a door there that I assumed was factory, but maybe was a PO addition.

 

[adam]

I just looked at my neighbor's Hunter and while I'm loathe to copy anything off a hunter it uses piano hinges and "plastic velcro" screw in fasteners which look like a pretty reasonable approach for mounting the backrests.

Another hidden space is the electrical conduits on the E29. What about opening up the one in the q-berth?

P.S. What tool(s) do I need to cut a hole? Can I get by with my angle grinder for the straight sections then use a jigsaw for the rounded corners?

 

[Rick R.]

32-200 nooks and....

While installing AC we discovered a big space under the galley countertop storage area accessible through the door under the sink. Like Christian, we have the huge spaces under the cockpit lazerette. Our Honda EU2000 sits in the aft-port locker and I worry the it could break one of the scupper drain hoses.

 

[toddster]

Re: Tool for cutting fiberglass. Get yourself a "multi-function oscillating tool." (Someone needs to come up with a one-word name...) A name-brand one at Home Despot will cost you a boat-buck or two. Cheap Harbor Freight imitation pictured in my post above will cost you $20.

And yes... that huge space behind the galley is also largely wasted, although I am "using" a bunch of it as gimbal-ing space for the range. One could easily stash something in behind there, but I'd have to lift the range out to get at it. I suppose one could put a trap door in the bottom of the galley cabinet, but then you'd have to take everything out of the cabinet...

I don't know what is outboard of the ice box... I rather hope it's filled with insulation.

The "electrical conduits" I'm using... for electrical conduits! I was playing around with trying to make the portion that runs through the head into a tiny little medicine cabinet.

But the bottom line... there is more than enough room in the regular lockers for anything that I usually want to keep on the boat. All these extra spaces would only be important in the event that the boat was actually loaded up for a major voyage.

 

[Randy Rutledge]

Rumkin hull 591 came with behind settee back storage, The cushions cover the openings and are held in place by snaps. I removed the two burner cook top and made covers and shelving to add much needed storage in the galley. I would never use the pressure alcohol burners.

 

[adam]

Rumkin hull 591 came with behind settee back storage, The cushions cover the openings and are held in place by snaps.

Would you mind posting a picture?

I wouldn't mind seeing another one before I start cutting big holes.

 

[Randy Rutledge]

I also added access to the engine water intake seacock under the sink. Toddster do you have pictures of the joinery that show the location, It appears it is starboard side shelf behind the settee backs. Also has anyone made access to the area at the back of the quarter berth starboard of the rudder shaft.

 

[Randy Rutledge]

Sorry these were to have been attached to the post on settee storage. The cushions are just foam and upholstery and are the only storage covering.

 

[toddster]

I also added access to the engine water intake seacock under the sink. Toddster do you have pictures of the joinery that show the location, It appears it is starboard side shelf behind the settee backs. Also has anyone made access to the area at the back of the quarter berth starboard of the rudder shaft.

Just this blurry cell phone pic. Mine came with a door identical to the one to the "chain locker" in the V-berth. I call that space "the garage." The fuel tank is in there and I store spare oil and such there. Huge space but difficult to use because of the fuel filler hose, bilge pump hose, blower hoses... One possibility I've thought of for some of that volume is to open up the cockpit seat and glass-in a proper, sealed, vented propane locker. Or another fuel tank.

To the left, you can see the port I put in to access the "bulk" space behind the liner. The more I think about it, the more I think I'll put drawers on either side of it, which will be where my tools and small parts live. Also, directly above that, you can see the (open) deck plate that leads up inside the coaming.

I like your door below the sink. It's a PITA to use that cabinet for anything because you have to pull everything out to operate the through-hulls. Also the drain hose from the sink going through the middle of everything is a pain. However, I have a whaler foot-pump bolted onto that panel. When I added the pressurized water system, I re-routed the foot pump and old outlet to a tee-fitting in the raw water intake. So I can rinse stuff off in the sink with raw water instead of drawing from the fresh water tank. Not sure where else I could put that.

Er... if you were referring to the joinery pictured "upstream," more details can be found here. But I think that part of my older boat is probably a bit different from yours.

 

[adam]

Also has anyone made access to the area at the back of the quarter berth starboard of the rudder shaft.

My boat came with a door there, which I'm 95% sure it was factory installed. There's a ton of space back there, but with the fuel tank and a bunch of hoses in the way I haven't done anything with it other than storing my kayak's skirt back there.

 

[Randy Rutledge]

On Rumkin the area at the back of the quarter berth is empty as the fuel tank is in the port locker. I should have a good bit of storage though getting back there is not handy.

 

[Randy Rutledge]

Toddster, I see the front panel of your engine cover is detached. Mine came loose and I realized it still stays in place with the slide bolts holding it and left it that way, I also cut the center Quarter Berth cushion in to two pieces to allow only removing the part over the engine. The front cushion and engine cover panels can stack in the back center and makes engine access much easier.

 

[toddster]

Oh, the PO had it built up two inches higher and extended two inches in front to accommodate the poorly-installed fresh-water cooling. I re-installed the FWC and returned the cover to its original form, except I made it two parts. Much easier to just slide that top panel to the rear than to try to find some place to stow the L-shaped piece. I almost never remove the front panel now.

Which brings up a related trick that I saw on another boat. One guy cut a "window" hatch into the side of the galley so that he can get easy access to the carburetor through the galley cabinet. Thinking about trying that one some time.

Got the foam on order to attempt a bit of upholstery over the winter.

 

[Randy Rutledge]

Not to do with extra space but a comfort. I made a hump seta for the helm and foot rest that give a place to stand when on the hump seat and running the rails, also drink holders.

 

[adam]

Re: Tool for cutting fiberglass. Get yourself a "multi-function oscillating tool." (Someone needs to come up with a one-word name...) A name-brand one at Home Despot will cost you a boat-buck or two. Cheap Harbor Freight imitation pictured in my post above will cost you $20.

Any advice for cutting rounded corners with this tool? I cut the holes for the starboard side, and found that the fiberglass is too thick to cut rounded corners with the "continuous" cutting blade. Instead I squared off the corners using the plunge cut blade, and I'll round them off afterward probably with the dremel tool.

Suggestions? Or is that just the way to do it?