Venture / Cape Cruiser V-Berth Hatch and/or Access Point

kcassal

I would love to see some detailed pictures of Venture/Cape Cruiser boats with hatches on the V-berth forward of the water tank (not the anchor locker). Pic below is from the recently built Venture 26 Dock Holiday. My 2008 Cape Cruiser 26 does not have a hatch.

Have others installed hatches in this location? Is it full of foam? Can you access the bottom of the hull through this point?

ssobol · Posted: Tue Nov 29, 2022 4:57 pm Post subject:

On the 22Cruisers, some boat have hatches and some don't. Some of the ones that didn't come that way had hatches put in by the owners. My '08 22 had hatches under the berth from the factory. The original hatches are pretty small. I did enlarge them.

It should not be a difficult job to add hatches to your boat. However, if there is foam under the berth it can get a bit messy taking it out.

srbaum · Posted: Tue Nov 29, 2022 5:52 pm Post subject:

On my 26, a hatch would be of little value, as to gain access, would be difficult. I have a custom mattress on top of air springs.

Peter & Judy · Posted: Tue Nov 29, 2022 6:22 pm Post subject:

I installed hatches on my 2005 cruiser. It was not to hard as I cut our 3 hatches under the mattress and I also installed two doors in the sides where the portapotty normally fits. These side doors are great for getting at small items. I think for anyone considering longer cruises, the hatches are a must have with lots of storage. Mine had foam underneath and this was the biggest hassle in adding this storage, but in the end worth it. Another advantage is that the added storage and weight helps to balance the boat better, especially when you have a heavy fuel load in the stern.

kcassal · Posted: Tue Nov 29, 2022 9:27 pm Post subject:

Thanks for the replies. My dad, Bruce Cassal, did a great job on his C22, Carpy, putting in bow hatches. I had his boat for 5 years so I'm familiar with the 22.
I'm curious if the Venture / Cape Cruiser are the same, with some random foam types in that void or if there are any differences since the Venture / Cape Cruisers have a different floor mold. currently there is no way to access the inner hull in the bow. Just looking for some clues before getting out the saw.

Carpy, 2002 C22: