How much will I regret removing this? [32-3 V-Berth Lockers]

[Tin Kicker]

Hello,

I found this post after starting my holding tank and hose replacement for my E32-3. I, too, found the free space under the aft position of the V-Berth, and I plan on adding a 6 in access port at the top of the V-berth above the free area. I'm curious if anyone has done this?

I also sanded and painted (bilge koat) the exposed wood and a formica-covered divider to the left of the two drawers and one hinged access door. I feel this has significantly impacted the residual old boat smell.

Access plate - good or bad idea

Maybe I don't understand but I don't see the benefit of adding the access plate. If you are talking about putting it in the wood cover panel, this is all that you can see when the piece is removed. Not much to see and even less that you can do without removing the holding tank.

The big wood panel MUST be removed to take out the holding tank or even to do much with the two stiff top hoses. To get to the lower hose area would be nearly impossible with adult hands.

btw - Here's the storage you get by going to a head not needing a holding tank, plus no sloshing of poo beneath where you lay your head, or the smells. The space is big enough to fit a small inflatable dingy in there.

 

[peaman]

Pretty sure Morning Rain is planning to access the dead space on the starboard side of the drawers, opposite where the holding tank is.

Thanks for the image of your removed holding tank. I guess I will need to remove mine to replace those hoses....

 

[Morning Rain]

If you look at my photo in Post #11 you can see the divider is already there.

@Tin Kicker, I have the same divider on the STB side of the holding tank location. I removed sand and painted both sides. Do you have a divider on both sides of the drawers?

I also removed the metal drawer runners and cleaned them up a bit.

 

[Morning Rain]

Pretty sure Morning Rain is planning to access the dead space on the starboard side of the drawers, opposite where the holding tank is.

Thanks for the image of your removed holding tank. I guess I will need to remove mine to replace those hoses....

Yes, that's correct. I have a few pics on my phone. I'll get the pics on here soon.

 

[Tin Kicker]

Yes, that's correct. I have a few pics on my phone. I'll get the pics on here soon.

I misunderstood then. I totally removed the drawers and cross piece between them to install a cabinet door. A cabinet has a lot more usable net space without the drawers themselves plus other hardware.

A big part of the reason is that a previous owner put the depth/speed transducer below them and it takes a double-jointed elbow to get to it. Pulling the transducer to install the plug leaves the hole open too long.

 

[peaman]

it takes a double-jointed elbow to get to it.

I will be replacing my entire speed transducer assembly soon. Wondering where I might be able to rent one of those double-jointed elbows for a few hours?

 

[nquigley]

I misunderstood then. I totally removed the drawers and cross piece between them to install a cabinet door. A cabinet has a lot more usable net space without the drawers themselves plus other hardware.

A big part of the reason is that a previous owner put the depth/speed transducer below them and it takes a double-jointed elbow to get to it. Pulling the transducer to install the plug leaves the hole open too long.

Tin Kicker - do you have any pics of what you did?
This is my plan too, for exactly the same reason. I might design some removable shelves in there where the drawers are (one could be at the level of the mystery space to starboard for max area). I'm planning on repurposing the nice solid teak drawer fronts as decorative elements on the cupboard door I'm going to make - it'll still look like a set of drawers.

My depth sensor is also under those drawers - it's extremely awkward getting access to it, even after the hassle of removing drawers. Seems unseamanlike to me - I've developed a strong adverse reaction to having difficult (read ... unsafe in an emergency situation) access to key components.

 

[nquigley]

Hello,

I found this post after starting my holding tank and hose replacement for my E32-3. I, too, found the free space under the aft position of the V-Berth, and I plan on adding a 6 in access port at the top of the V-berth above the free area. I'm curious if anyone has done this?

I also sanded and painted (bilge koat) the exposed wood and a formica-covered divider to the left of the two drawers and one hinged access door. I feel this has significantly impacted the residual old boat smell.

Access plate - good or bad idea

It's a smallish space - you can probably reach all corners though a well-placed 6" inspection port. But ... you won't be able to get anything large-ish in there for storage, and you might get tired of lifting the big forward berth cushion (and moving all the junk you store on it) in order to get to that port. A front-opening cupboard door for that space would be ideal (not as 'secret/secure'?), but that maybe hard to implement well without mad carpentry skills.
Consider Tin Kicker's idea - if you make a cupboard door where the drawers are, you'll be able to reach around to get stuff into/out of that space. You could rig a vertical removable 'net' if you want to stop stuff sliding out of that space on port tack.

 

[Morning Rain]

It's a smallish space - you can probably reach all corners though a well-placed 6" inspection port. But ... you won't be able to get anything large-ish in there for storage, and you might get tired of lifting the big forward berth cushion (and moving all the junk you store on it) in order to get to that port. A front-opening cupboard door for that space would be ideal (not as 'secret/secure'?), but that maybe hard to implement well without mad carpentry skills.
Consider Tin Kicker's idea - if you make a cupboard door where the drawers are, you'll be able to reach around to get stuff into/out of that space. You could rig a vertical removable 'net' if you want to stop stuff sliding out of that space on port tack.

Thank you for that perspective. I'm still in the middle of the project and think any additional storage space is good, but I don't have the woodworking skills to add a door.

Again thank you for the response

 

[Tin Kicker]

Tin Kicker - do you have any pics of what you did?
...

Sorry but I don't.

 

[Morning Rain]

Hello,

I'm still in the middle of this project, replacing the holding tank, all hoses, toilet, sink, and head/shower faucet. I intend on keeping the drawers and some security-type stowage in the newfound space. I will be living onboard shortly. Any tips or suggestions on oh to take good care of my E32-3 are welcome.