1985 Ericson 30+ | Aft lazarette shelf space? What's in there?

Ahoy all...have a design question. What's underneath, or behind the shelf built into the aft lazarette on the Ericson 30+?

Is it possible to cut into it and create some functional storage space?

use a camera and peed inside.

frick said:

use a camera and peed inside.

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I may end up doing just that.

It's strange that none of the other E30 owners have chimed in...maybe mine is a one-off upgrade from a previous owner.

AdventurousAnton said:

I may end up doing just that.

It's strange that none of the other E30 owners have chimed in...maybe mine is a one-off upgrade from a previous owner.

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I also have that same shelf in my 1984 E30+. As far as I can tell, there is no opening to that area, and I've been very reluctant to drill a hole into it to see what it contains.
If you do check into it with a camera or some other method, please let us know what you find.
Frank

Think it's the shelf for the reefer compressor ? I would think it's hollow but may have structural elements inside. Not much usable space in there. May want to build something on top maybe ?

Frank Langer said:

I also have that same shelf in my 1984 E30+. As far as I can tell, there is no opening to that area, and I've been very reluctant to drill a hole into it to see what it contains.
If you do check into it with a camera or some other method, please let us know what you find.
Frank

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Will do...

I have the same bump out. No clue what is behind in there. That lip halfway down looks like it should support a shelf but I could never figure out where the other side of the shelf would attach. A previous owner had put a 5 gallon diesel tank to feed the heater on top of the bump out which was also plumbed into the main tank to make a nice reserve tank. I started to reinstall it but found pinhole leaks and had to discard it. The flat area on top is a good tool storage area when you are stuck down in the lazarette. I may add some tallish fiddles and store a couple items there in the future if I don’t use it for an auxiliary fuel tank.

Mine originally had the alcohol pressure tank for the stove on it. I installed my fridge compressor in the exact same place as Andiamo. Now, the bump out has my emergency tiller, fender board, and boat hook on it.

I'm also curious to know what's in there.

woolamaloo said:

I'm also curious to know what's in there.

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I might suggest a hole saw, and then install a Beckson screw-out plate. They come in various sizes.

Loren Beach said:

I might suggest a hole saw, and then install a Beckson screw-out plate. They come in various sizes.

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You read my mind! The first step for me is a small pilot hole up where there are currently screws, then inspect with a USB camera (think "endoscope"), and depending on what I find, do just that.