Forward floatation

P

potter water

New member
It seems that it is somewhat of a slot machine pull as to how any particular CD model year or length of boat was put together in the bow, under birth compartments.

My 2007 22 cruiser has absolutely no inspection holes or hatches in any area under the v birth. NONE.

So, I've read on this site that some have hatches with storage underneath. That some are foam filled to the top. Some have partial foam fill and no hatches, some have partial foam fill and hatches and so on and so on.

My question is: Is there any absolute way to know what is in those compartments short of drilling holes and looking? I'd sure like to have the extra storage for water bottles or extra bedding or whatever if there is room. I'm big on the idea of floatation though and would want really good hatches in that area if I were to open them up.

Thoughts, absolute knowledge or even good speculation is welcome.
 
I just finished installing hatches and removing the foam from under my v-berth. Installing the hatches wasn't bad, but removing the foam was a major pita. In my boat there were 3 plugs of about 1 1/2" diameter under the mattress. The plugs filled the holes used to put the foam under the v-berth. If you don't have any plugs, then I doubt you have any foam either.

I would suggest you buy and install a deck plate / inspection port like this:

http://www.defender.com/product.jsp?pat ... 4&id=47488

They don't require too big of a hole and they seal up tight. That way you will know for sure what is under there. If you are really concerned about keeping everything water tight under the v-berth, then you may want to skip this project altogether. I don't think you are going to find hatches big enough to give reasonable access while at the same time being waterproof....somewhat water resistant maybe, but not waterproof.

Rob
 
Maybe when the CIA is done looking into the undisturbed walls at bin Laden's place in Abbottabad they can take a look below your V-berth... Maybe in 50 years the public can buy x-ray glasses that really do work.

I've read most of the posts here on V-berth storage and stories of what folks have found are quite varied. It's my impression that staff and procedures were pretty changeable during the period of ownership during which your boat was built, so a hole saw might be your best bet.

My two-cents is that if you want the storage, just go for it. Yes, removal of the foam is not the easiest task. Keep in mind all the storage space you're gonna have; it's very rewarding when you're done. I used a sawzall with a 12" blade to make short work of the big chunks. Once it was pretty well cleared out I ran the saw along the inside of the hull to pare it down; then used 50-grit sandpaper on an orbital palm sander to clean up to the hull fiberglass. I'd advise some kind of breathing protection to keep the dust out of your lungs.

Have fun with it...
 
I really doubt that the totally "sealed up" bow section is truly water & air tight.

If it was, it would bulge when you went over mountain passes with the reduced air pressure. Might even rupture/burst.

We had that problem with dinghy sailboats, and added inspection ports or mounted hardware with fasteners to allow some ingress/egress of air.

Joe. :teeth :thup
 
Well, thanks to my wife being more thorough than me, I find my under birth area is chuck full of foam. My wife finally asked me what the little white buttons were. I'd been thinking I'd done a full inspection of the bow area looking for fill and vent ports for putting in the foam. But as I'd moved the bow cushions around, I never quite got a complete look...but she did. So, yes, my 22 CD does indeed have a completely foamed under birth area. I'm going to leave it that way and seek other means of storage and think...BOAT SIMPLE and not take so much that I have to store.
 
Harry,

Something to keep in mind as far as the flotation supplied by the bow foam goes - If your boat should flood, heaven forbid, the bow foam will supply about enough flotation to keep a foot or so of the stem above the water, providing there is not flotation in other parts of the boat. I believe some folks are under the impression that the bow foam will leave a flooded boat high and dry. That is not the case and maybe this fact has influenced others on whether or not to remove the foam for added storage.

Rich
 
I think I'll take that foot or two rather than a boat on the bottom of 400 foot deep lake powell. The expense of raising from such a depth is colossal and I'm not sure it could be done. In any case, 50 years of active boating and I've yet to sink a boat. Knock on wood and fiberglass and anything else I can find to knock on!!
 
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