Marinaut- efficient use of interior space

G

Gene&Mary

New member
I was looking at the line drawings of the Marinaut 215 and noticed their sleeping arrangement. They extend the port side berth past the V-berth into where the passenger seat is while cruising.

I have read about some C-Brats cutting out the bulkhead between the passenger seat and V-berth on their C-22 and have been thinking about doing the same thing.

My wife has always complained about the low headroom on that side of the V-berth and was thinking if the sleeping area could be extended out like the Marinaut, it might solve the problem.

First what are the advantages (uses) of cutting out the bulkhead and what are the disadvantages?

Second has anyone used the area for extending the sleeping area like the Marinaut?

Thanks

(If I didn't already have my C-22 which I love.....I really like the Marinaut 215.)

Gene
 
I am seriously considering making that mod and have talked to Scott at the factory about doing it. AFAIK there is no downside, but if there is, I hope someone posts it.

Warren
 
There is no structural support of that bulkhead. No reason not to do so. It would depend on which model you have, and where the forward seat box is located.
 
This opening on my '85 Classic is one of my favorite points of the old design. No removal was required and it is easy to enter and exit the V-Berth. Album shows area.
 
Uh, I don't know about a 22 or a Tomkat, but on Journey On, a 25, that bulkhead acts as a shear panel/stiffener across the hull. I know the V-berth entrance needs a wider opening, but unless the cutout is reinforced, you're going to lose some stiffness. The loss not be noticeable, but there will be some.

It may not have been specifically designed that way, but there are a bunch of bolts running across the bottom, a firm attachment at the top and the bulkhead is double skinned.

Boris
 
The pre 87 c-dorys did not have the wall for the v-berth like Red Fox'22 On the newer boats Gypsy and foggy dew and some of the others have cut away the port side v-berth wall .Its a lot easier to get in and out of the v-berth I thought about doing it in my CC23 but the Admiral said no . We use our boat mostly day trips and she wanted privacy for porta-potti.
The other consideration is the port forward chair needs to be a barber chair so you have somewhere to put your feet not on the bedding when looking forward. just my 2 cents . check out foggy dew and gypsy's photo's
 
I had considered cutting out the side panel on my 22 but never got around to it prior to deciding to sell it. However, even without a barber chair there is a potential solution on where to put your feet without getting them on the bedding. On my 22 (with the fridge under the forward port side seat) a barber chair isn't possible. However, one could put a piece of starboard (other other board) on a hinge on the forward side of the seat box so that it folds down on top of the bedding as a foot rest. I saw that arrangement on some other boat of similar size at the boat show a year or two ago.
 
After spending 14 days crawling in & out of the little tunnel into the v-berth on my 1st Lake Powell trip in Sept '09, I vowed that an open v-berth & Barber chair conversion was a necessity. It seemed like a simple job--Hah!. It only took me 2+ months. I don't think that any structural rigidity was lost since I didn't cut out the entire bulkhead plus I think the teak trim which was epoxied in place with thickened West System epoxy added some stiffening. With all the different thicknesses of the fiberglass and teak (1/4 " to 3/4") that had to be trimmed, teak (bulkhead trim in 1/2" & 3/4" ) was the only practical way to go. There were many holes in the fiberglass from all the snaps and my attempts at patching the gelcoat (Spectrum product) had varied success--poor to so/so. Thanks to Scot's gelcoat class last month I now know how to improve my repairs. Plus there are all the great new tools that I get to use--the little air die grinder and d/a sander are really neat! The opened V-berth & forward facing chair worked great on my 2 week Lake Powell this Sept. My sons & daughter-in-law all thought it was great. The v-berth seems twice as big as before.The privacy issue was solved with a drop down zippered privacy enclosure from Cabelas (approx 3'x3") that I installed in the cockpit. It fastens with snap hooks to 4 pad eyes on the underside of the SS bows of the Bimini. It rolls up out of the way when not needed & is kept from flopping around with a bungee. My porta poti rides in the cockpit normally anyway so the enclosure works well as a changing room, bathroom & shower room. A longer hose on my sun shower which is hung from my radar arch, goes into the enclosure just fine. Yes it was a lot of work, but it improved the livability of the boat tremendously and I would do it again without question. I finally got around to posting some photos so you can see what Grizzly looks like now.

John
 
Hi Warren,

I bought the seat from Roger King (C-Hawk). It was one (from Fishtales?) that he replaced with an after market seat. It had the older style rectangular back that I modified to match my helm seat. It has all new high end foam & is quite comfortable. They aren't in any of my posted photos, but I use 2 of the mesh back rests for additional lumbar support on both seats. After 4 major back surgeries my back needs all the help it can get!

John
 
I enlarged the opening in Beagle - photos in album (Beagle gets a new interior). I added portholes as well. They make a big difference. Kudos to Grizzly for the great looking job!!
 
RonJr":1pamaojy said:
I enlarged the opening in Beagle - photos in album (Beagle gets a new interior). I added portholes as well. They make a big difference. Kudos to Grizzly for the great looking job!!
Click to expand...

Nice mods on Beagle! How did you implement the sliding seat, or did it come from the factory that way? And can you provide more info on the portholes you put in? I have a vague recollection of reading a thread about it but could not find it. Wasn't there an issue with getting portholes with a curved based to accommodate the C-Dory's hull?

Thanks,
Warren
 
Warren, for the seat, I have 2 bolts coming through the raised portion of the floor on that side. The seat box has a bottom with 2 slats routed through which the bolts extend. I then have knob-like tighteners. I copied another Brat, just can't remember who.

The portholes are the Vetus PM21 model. I copied C-Batical and Valkyrie. There is only about 1/8 gap on the outside edges, as a result of the hull cure, and that is caulked.

Hope that helps.
 
I have a seat if you want it.... it's blue..the standard drivers seat that came with the boat..... Roger and I both replaced our seats with seats that had back support. I used a passive seat support from West Marine (has rubber bushings and springs) to mount the seat....it raised the seat about 1 1/2" (perfect for short guys) Now I can see over the dash.

I Love the Barber chair.... quite the task to build and install...but it sure is nice...

Joel
SEA3PO
 
RonJr":39ihdk2v said:
I enlarged the opening in Beagle - photos in album (Beagle gets a new interior). I added portholes as well. They make a big difference. Kudos to Grizzly for the great looking job!!
Click to expand...

Nice work Ron! The boat looks like new. Very inspirational. :thup
 
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