E-29 Adding Cubbie Holes Behind Settee Seat Backs

[1973E29 TUG]

My wife and I recently purchased a '73 E-29. We have done a little bit of cruising with it and plan to do a lot more in the coming years...

We are eyeing every possible place to find some additional storage for clothes, gear, extra bottled water, dry goods, etc.

We have looked at possibility of utilizing the void space behind the salon seat backs between the liner and the hull. It looks like there would be a lot of space behind there if you were to cut some oval access holes and finish them with some nice low/no profile trim work around them. The holes would be covered by the settee back cushions.

has anyone tried this? How much space is in there? is there any thing in there filling the void space? Could it be lined for storing clothes? anything else I need to be mindfull of? Good Idea/Bad Idea???

Thanks in advance for any insights.

Tug

 

[Morgan Stinemetz]

Hi,
I have a 1973 E-27. I removed and re-installed the seat back on the starboard side. It was vinyl and I had it recovered in a different material. Your suggested plan will work, and I believe that if you do it right you'll get the extra storage you want. The only thing that I would look out for is ventilation in those places you upgrade. Without it, I believe, the storage you gain may be ripe for mildew. Good luck.
Morgan Stinemetz

 

[Davis Modlin]

Hello Tug

I have what you are talking about on my E29, on port and starboard. It was this way when I bought the boat. There is about 6 to 8 inches depth. I use these areas for dry goods (in bags) and Incidentals such as storage for aluminum foil, ziplock bags etc. I don't think I would use them for anything else. If you whould like some pics of these areas let me know.

Davis
E29
#226
Holy Guacamole

 

[RyPhil]

YES, pics please

I would like to see pics of your storage areas. I was thinking of the same thing and want to see how someone else did it.

Robert

 

[Mark F]

I cut access panels into the area behind the "salon" seats on my E23 mk1. I added doors and left about a 1/4" gap at the bottom (hinge side) of the doors. My hope was to help move some air through the storage area. Seems to work, no mildew. Here are some photos of the project.

 

[Loren Beach]

Mark,
VERY nice looking woodwork!

Loren

 

[Davis Modlin]

VERY NICE !!

I can't sat that mine look that good. My cushions are just hanging over the cubby's

Davis

 

[Joe Benedict]

E29 - Factory Cubbie Holes

My E29 (1977) has access holes cut out like Mark illustrates and Davis describes. Was this standard for the E29 or were they additions? The hull behind them is lined with a 1/4 inch sponge-like material in the entire void space and not bare fiberglass like in Mark's photos. Is this an aftermarket enhancement? It's kind of moldy probably should be replaced. Mark, it appears you used mahogany. Do you plan on using a stain to give it a headstart on matching the color of the older wood? If so what kind? I've used Varathane Red Mahogany - it's close but not close enough. Hope these aren't too many questions but I haven't found an E29 in good condition to compare with.

 

[Davis Modlin]

Mine has just the bare glass.

Davis

 

[Mark F]

Thanks Guys.
Joe,
I used redwood "bender board" it's usually about 5/16" thick and 6" or 8" wide. I got the idea to use redwood from Tom Zinn's web site at: http://adrenalinimages.com/valhalla.html. I think bender board is used for making borders in landscaping. I picked through the boards at the lumber yard to get some nice fairly tight grain boards, dried them in my shop for about a month then planed them down to about 1/4". I thought I might be able to use urethane construction adhesive to attach the redwood directly to the fiberglass so I glued a small test piece of the wood to the hull liner, waited a few days then tried to pull it off. I had to use a chisel and hammer to get it off. I finished the redwood tung oil.

 

[escapade]

settee cut-outs

I cut openings like you are describing in both my 1975 E27 & 1980 E30+. Added much needed storage space. I laid out the openings using a large butter container to establish the radius for the corners & then used a sabre saw to cut them out. Made the openings about 5" hi. Then glased in 1/4 plywood to make the bottom. Otherwise everything will end up wedged into the hull/settee back. Lined the openings w/white naugahyde (contrary to popular belief, they are NOT endangered!) type material & trimed the openings with a vinyl edgeing from a camper supply. Plywood bottoms ranged from about 2 1/2 to 4" wide. Unfortunately, I have no pics of this & no longer own the boats. My 1988 E34 came standard with them. Can't believe it took the factory that long to catch on but better late than never. Definitely an easy project that I would highly recommend doing.
BTW, beautiful woodwork, Mark!
Have fun & sail fast.
Bud E34 "Escapade"

 

[1973E29 TUG]

Love this website...thanks so much

Some great information thank you all so much for the insights and advice. The photos are especially helpful. We Will definitely be undertaking this project this winter after I get a few others wraped up.

Thanks again

Tug