V-Berth Storage

amy and karl · Posted: Sat Feb 28, 2009 10:32 pm Post subject: V-Berth Storage

Marc: Those are our thoughts exactly. If the water is that rough I think it would be pretty hard to hang on to without getting knocked out. Better to always wear a pfd and hope for a speedy rescue.

Art: Thanks for the tip on the foam mat. Not sure about mold becoming an issue. Certainly something to watch for.

Karl

Not For Hire · Posted: Sun Mar 01, 2009 11:02 am Post subject:

I am waiting to start this project. Still sub-zero F this AM. I have three hatches available but want to get to my boat to see if these three are suitable sizes. Probably can't start until April. One of the advantages I see is ability to inspect and access the inside of the hull. Yet I want noise deadening and abrasion protection also. So I would rather not glue the carpeting or other covering down but how else to get it to stick on assorted vertical and etc. surfaces? Another Brat is pondering using three hatches but with hatch liners to have thee smaller storage compartments yet still have all the foam, maybe even add foam as C-Daisy pondered. So what would make a good liner up forward? Do you think that truck liners stuff might work?

Regards,

Mark

RCurry · Posted: Wed Dec 09, 2009 11:39 pm Post subject: V-Berth Storage Found!

My BF (Cal-the Deckhand) has been following this thread from the time I started talking about buying a CD-22 (July/August) to actually getting one last month. He was figuring on eventually making this modification.

We were surprised to discover my 2009 CD-22 Cruiser came with 3 factory-installed hatches in the V-berth. Cal tells me that the texture of the 3 compartments is similar to that of the interior hull bulkheads. Cal also told me he was planning to use a spray adhesive to install rubberized shelf/tool box liner to deaden any sound problems and alleviate things sliding about the compartments.

He also found an "extra" small cushion which is simliar to the dinette cushions. With a "little help" the cushion will fit in the notch in the V-berth. All we need to do now is install a board to span the notch and support the cushion.

Guess Santa came early to Eastern NC.

Will post photos of the above, as well as the new camperback and a few interior "creature comforts", shortly.

Nan-C · Posted: Thu Dec 10, 2009 12:17 pm Post subject:

At some point -- this year -- I also am going to install v-berth hatches to create storage on our 25. Since we sleep on the boat six months a year, I have two concerns leading to a question that I hope does not seem slap-my-head stupid when I see the responses.

Comfort -- hatches with a low enough profile certainly take care of this. Convenience -- with the bed made up all the time, we could store only little-used items. Why couldn't the hatches -- one or two or even all three -- be installed vertically in the v-berth's access well. I realize structural support would be an issue and that plenty of vertical glass would have to be left. And I do realize I would be trading off the advantage of better visual access. Thoughts???

Regards to all,

Greg

mwilson · Posted: Thu Dec 10, 2009 12:31 pm Post subject: hatches

I installed one and it has worked very well, but I would advise a smaller hatch installed in the more accesable PP space so you can vent the storage space easier, A smaller hatch just forward is more aceessable for smaller items, as you don't have to lift the bedding,etc.. I lined it with carpet. Made a very nice storage area.

michael

ramos · Posted: Thu Dec 10, 2009 1:18 pm Post subject:

I went through a similar process creating an anchor locker on our 16C (pictures in album). A few things that I discovered:

1. As I carved out the foam, I kept my shop vac in the compartment, running. Had very little mess elsewhere and did not have to fight the static build up.

2. Once I had it "roughed out", I used a random orbital sander to smooth up the foam I was leaving in place. Be ready to move, it removes foam quickly!

3. West System and glass cloth worked excellent to hard surface the remaining foam. The bottom of our locker is glassed foam and shows no wear after a full season of use.

Hope some of this may be helpfull to someone.

starcrafttom · Posted: Thu Dec 10, 2009 3:07 pm Post subject:

I also installed three hatches. well the factory installed three small ones and removed the foam. I later cut these out and replaced them with three very large hatches.

Get the biggest hatches you can and it will make a big differance in your life. Wife says its the best thing we have done to the boat, I think the downriggers are better but what do i know?

we are not able to drop a full size duffle bag thru the hatch with out pushing and proding. I have not lined the space with anthing other then the paint the factory used but may be looking into a rubber mat of some sort.

toyman · Posted: Thu Dec 24, 2009 2:38 pm Post subject:

Has anyone opened up the area on a 25 ? What's in there - seeing the little "plugs" on the moldings, I assume they "filled" the 25 also - probably for noise. I want to put a couple of AGM batteries under the bow area, and additional water under the stbd side.

thataway · Posted: Fri Dec 25, 2009 10:06 pm Post subject:

The 2002-2005 (?) 25's had the water tank under the bunk port side--later boats had the water tank under the aft cockpit floor (holding tank intregral with the head, instead of under the aft cockpit floor). I would wonder at what point you might be putting too much weight foreward? You always want the ability to bring the bow up, and prevent bow steering/broaching. At high speeds trim tabs and Permatrim will help with this, but at low speed, these are not as effective.

Does your boat have the water already foreward?

toyman · Posted: Fri Dec 25, 2009 10:21 pm Post subject:

Hi Dr. Bob, Merry Christmas to you & Marie.

Yes, my '06 has the water tank fwd, port side, & holding tank aft. This past summer, with the tabs full down and the motor full in the bow still wouldn't come down to where I felt the trim was correct - when running at speed. Hull speed was OK. It seems to me that with everything full down you SHOULD be able to very slightly over trim the bow down.

amy and karl · Posted: Sun Mar 28, 2010 8:26 pm Post subject: V-Berth Sorage

Well, it's been just over a year since we put in storage in our v-berth and we are very glad we did it. No issues with moldy carpet to report at this point so we are happy with our set up.

Last fall we put the new and improved lazarette covers on and have been wanting to put the old hatches to use. We finally got around to using one of them today by starting a tool locker astern of the porta pot location. Plan is to line it with carpet just like the other compartments in the bow.

After our incident with the stem guard failure and taking on water in our bow last fall, this will also serve as an easily accessible inspection hatch for the low point of the bow.

Now just to figure out what to do with that last hatch?

Karl

Kushtaka · Posted: Tue Feb 23, 2016 12:50 pm Post subject:

COOL! Just cool. All I do is think about boats, MY boat in particular, and I NEVER thought of using that space. I've thought of storage in the v berth, and just about everything else that you could, but that space never even occurred to me. Well done!!

Sunbeam · Posted: Tue Feb 23, 2016 1:37 pm Post subject:

Glad you brought this thread to the fore, Kushtaka. I was just looking at that small area (shown in Karl's last photo) and thinking about opening it (initially to run battery wiring across). That would be a nice little area for tools, etc. (separated from the battery wires!), and I could do an inset hatch with the cutout piece as I did on the v-berth itself so nothing would be sticking up, and the cleats would re-strengthen the area. One difference would be that I'd (even more) want to make a way to hold the hatch in place (in the V-berth I have not done this yet, and I should; but at least there the giant/single V-berth cushion pretty much traps the hatch lids in place). That could be done with a small piece of stock that could be rotated by reaching into the finger hole...

In my era boat there is a ~6" round deck hatch in the area under the Porta Potti (next compartment forward) but nothing in the first section.

Anyway, good to see this as it motivates me to get 'er done Very Happy

At some point Laughing

Kushtaka · Posted: Tue Feb 23, 2016 2:08 pm Post subject:

I could see making a spot for each tool you need on board in this space and fitting the top of the hatch with soft, compressible foam to hold them in place. Then it's easy to find a tool, easy to know if you don't have a tool, and easy to put them away.

Time to research what a proper tool loadout would be for the boat. Til now, I just overdo it and bring the whole giant socket set, all type of screw driver and wrench, and I think I use the same 4 or 5 tools 99% of the time. But I'm not even going to ask here. I'm sure it's been discussed, and if not, I'll start a new thread.

ssobol · Posted: Tue Feb 23, 2016 3:32 pm Post subject:

How deep is the compartment under the center section as shown in the photos? Is it deep enough to make it worth cutting and putting a hatch there after allowing for the depth of the hatch mounting?

I replaced the lazarette covers on the back of the boat with the recommended style awhile back and still have the old ones. Might be a good place to use one.