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Propane lockers
I'm modifying each lazarette to hold a 5 gal. horizontal propane tank. Starboard tank for heater and stove. Port tank for BBQ. Problem: Existing lockers are too small. Solution: Make them bigger. This means not just the interior of the locker, but the opening as well. I also wanted the opening to match the profile of the original hatch opening so, although it will look a little different from the original, it won't look like it wasn't part of the original design. I started with a mockup of the enlarged interior to make sure everything needed to meet ABYC guidelines will fit inside.

Here the o-ring material is being inserted (friction fit) into the channel. The o-ring material is .250" Buna-N 70 O-Ring Cord Stock, from theoringstore.com. The glue is Vibra-Tite 388 Super Glue (specifically for gluing rubber) from Amazon. I used the chisel to make clean out the channel and ensure it was fit to hold the o-ring. The reinforced area (extra later of fiberglass) alongside the long side of the lid is where two latches will be installed. Next up - build the lockers!

Here the o-ring material is being inserted (friction fit) into the channel. The o-ring material is .250" Buna-N 70 O-Ring Cord Stock, from theoringstore.com. The glue is Vibra-Tite 388 Super Glue (specifically for gluing rubber) from Amazon. I used the chisel to make clean out the channel and ensure it was fit to hold the o-ring. The reinforced area (extra later of fiberglass) alongside the long side of the lid is where two latches will be installed. Next up - build the lockers!

Here the mold has been layed up with fiberglass, the o-ring channel has been inserted, and a strip of stainless steel has been inserted as backing for hinges. Also note that the whole assembly is resting in a box. This was done so that a jig could be clamped to the top edges of the box. This jig has strips of MDF on it that were tied directly to the o-ring channel with monofilament line, to ensure the the o-ring channel was positioned exactly flat, with respect to the top of the lid. The monofilament line was then simply cut to remove the jig once the epoxy was cured. Sorry I neglected to photograph this step.

The mold for the port lid top is ready for laying up with 1708 and epoxy. There are several 1/2" holes in the bottom of this mold which are filled with wax. This gives a means to tap on the back of the mold with a 1/2" dowel to help pop the part free.

After three dyas of curing I sanded the top of the channel smooth. I had pre-drilled small holes under the edges of the channel, on on each of the five sides, and filled them with wax. This allowed me to insert the flat end of a drill bit and tap on theh channel to help pop it from the mold.

One day later I used a multitool to remove most of the excess epoxy.

Epoxy is poured and curing.

Here the three molds for the port channel are in place and screwed down to the plywood base.

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Here the o-ring material is being inserted (friction fit) into the channel. The o-ring material is .250" Buna-N 70 O-Ring Cord Stock, from theoringstore.com. The glue is Vibra-Tite 388 Super Glue (specifically for gluing rubber) from Amazon. I used the chisel to make clean out the channel and ensure it was fit to hold the o-ring. The reinforced area (extra later of fiberglass) alongside the long side of the lid is where two latches will be installed. Next up - build the lockers!

pcg
Apr 8, 2024

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