PROJECT-A-PALOOZA!! - V-Berth Access and Mods

[Ray]

I made a few mods to the V-Berth to make it more useable.

I started with a small inspection hatch at the center of the forward bilge. I cut out a circle the right size for a hatch:



There was about 2 gallons of NASTY water in there:



After cleaning it all out, installed the inspection hatch:



No need to clean up - there was more to do!

Next I cut 3 access holes in under the cushions. For those that are interested, my boat (2007) had no foam or anything underneath - just air. This is actually the "after" photo - I didn't take an in-process photo as I cut them :crook

I epoxied the edges of the edges of the exposed wood after cutting.



After cutting the holes, I scuffed up the fiberglass edges underneath and also some aluminum strips that I rounded the coners on. And epoxied them in to support some lids (screws came later):



PVC tube sections make GREAT clamps. You can adjust the strength by how wide you cut each slice of the tube -- skinny ones for light pressure, fat ones for strong. I make use of a huge bucket of these all the time for various projects:



I used 1/2" plywood for the lids. I cut and rounded over a hole in the middle for removing, and then painted with Brightsides ("Hatteras Off-White is a VERY close color match to the interior gelcoat, BTW). I drilled and installed some flush-head screws and nuts into the epoxied aluminum strips also.



While I had my head down in there, I glassed and painted a couple of mounting cleats to the hull sides:



Then I mounted some hooks on them to hang stuff up out of the way of the storage junk down below. I have a row of hooks on each side for spare dock lines, bucket, etc.



Also "while I was in there", I mounted two home made LED lights to the aft bulkhead underneath:



They help illuminate all the junk down in there when it is dark:



I put a flush-mount switch for the lights right at the corner under the cushion (where there is no pressure to accidentally turn on):



It was all really easy to wire up being all locally right there at the helm power location.



This was a very useful project and gave us a TON of new storage space!

Ray

 

[Lollygaggin]

My hat's off to you for coming up with these ideas and implementing them. Looks great. You'd think the factory would have thought of this. :thup

 

[Pat Anderson]

Love it, Ray, this is a "must do." The only thing I don't know is whether the 2005 CD25 has foam down there or air...hoping for air but betting on foam. I love the plywood covers instead of Bomar hatches (which I was planning on). Your plywood covers will be flat, not like "The Princess and the Pea" that we would get with Bomar hatches!

 

[Pandy Girl]

Looks great, looks like you are doing a good job. Hope to see you all in the future. Very good Pics. Jim & Sandy

 

[BRAZO]

Very impressive!

 

[lloyds]

What did you use to cut the circle for the inspection plate, and how far down is the hull? Kind of curious what I might find in there as well. I put a bomar in the forward area and it is full of foam, really nasty foam. I like your hatches much better than my bomar. After doing one I decided not to do another.

 

[Sunbeam]

Nice write-up! I did a similar project on my 22 this summer and have been meaning to post about it (I went to Powell right afterward, and I guess I forgot). I really like the improvement!

Another good paint match tip (which I got from Carpy) is that Pettit's "Easypoxy" in "off-white" color is a virtually perfect match for the "white" C-Dory gelcoat (equivalent paint to Interlux "Brightsides")

I like the lights :thup

 

[hardee]

Really nice, job and write-up with good pix. Thanks for sharing that.

Harvey
SleepyC :moon

 

[Ray]

What did you use to cut the circle for the inspection plate, and how far down is the hull? Kind of curious what I might find in there as well.

lloyds,

I used a dremel tool and spiral bit (well, several of them!) to cut the circle out after drawing with pencil where to cut.

The hull is somewhere between 4-6 inches below this level, if I remember correctly.

Hope this helps,
Ray

 

[nordicstallion]

That's some very impressive work you've done there. A question... Is there no flotation ( foam) in your boat at all?

 

[ssobol]

My '08 CD22 had the factory installed hatches in the berth area. There was no foam.

One thing I noticed was even with the hatches these areas are so air tight that when I got the boat in '12 the original paint inside was still tacky and had that fresh paint smell. Stuff the PO put in the bins ended up with paint marks on them.

After leaving the hatches open over a winter the paint finally dried.

 

[localboy]

Pat, our 2007 had no foam either. Like the idea of the LED lights but since electrical is not my strong suit, I'll KISS it w/ a flashlight.

 

[SGIDave]

Hello Ray,

I like what you've done with your boat. Very WELL DONE modifications. AND you have the ability to communicate pertinent details well with your posts. That helps all us C-brats.

My question: Do the plywood hatch covers "rattle" when the boat is underway? There appears to be no fasteners holding them in place. Perhaps simple gravity and the berth mattress lying on top of the covers is adequate. I REALLY like the simplicity of the plywood vs factory-made covers.

Your other mods are very nice too.

Keep on Modifying!

david

 

[Sunbeam]

Do the plywood hatch covers "rattle" when the boat is underway? There appears to be no fasteners holding them in place. Perhaps simple gravity and the berth mattress lying on top of the covers is adequate.

I can't speak to Ray's specific covers, but I've had many boats with similar style access in the settees or berth flats (albeit with wooden support cleats) and they have never made any noise (and if anything on a sailboat can make noise while you are off watch trying to sleep... it WILL). This is a common way to make locker tops in sailboats, btw.

 

[Grazer]

I agree with others that your mods are great, and thanks for sharing.
I was wondering about the water you uncovered. Any further insights as to how or why the water got in there? There's the anchor locker drain theory and the long screws securing the brass keel strip and penetrating the hull theory.

 

[ssobol]

My CD22 had the factory hatches in the berth. However, they put small hatches in for the two side compartments (same size as the original lazarette). The front compartment has a large hatch. I enlarged the cutouts for the side compartments and put in bigger but lower profile hatches. I was going to screw the hatches in place. However, when the mattress is in place it is easier to get stuff out of the compartment by lifting the hatch up and sliding it out of the way vs. having to open the hatch normally (hinged opening). This is essentially the same as the plywood covers used in the mod in this post. The only difference is that I did not have to put in tabs to hold the covers in place because the hatches I use have a flange.

There is no noise from the hatches because the mattress holds them in place.

 

[lloyds]

Ray, thanks for the info. I just got back from visiting my boat and while inside the v-berth storage area I got my answer. And there is even foam in there between the area where the potti sits and the hull. Guess I won't be cutting into there.

 

[Ray]

I was wondering about the water you uncovered. Any further insights as to how or why the water got in there? There's the anchor locker drain theory and the long screws securing the brass keel strip and penetrating the hull theory.

I have already enlarged and re-sealed my anchor drain. I did not notice anything unusual during that process. However, I am unable to draw any conclusions either way.

I bought the boat from someone up north. I spent a long weekend on the boat in very cold damp weather with a heater running inside most of the time. I was AMAZED at the amount of condensation produced on the inside of every exposed fiberglass surface. It is conceivable that that much water could have been trapped one way or another by condensation/

In any event, I haven't seen any new water through my new "peephole", so I am not sure what to say.......

Apologies,
Ray

 

[Sunbeam]

Ray, thanks for the info. I just got back from visiting my boat and while inside the v-berth storage area I got my answer. And there is even foam in there between the area where the potti sits and the hull. Guess I won't be cutting into there.

Just so you know, it's possible to remove the foam. I have seen a couple of different types (blocks and spray-in-place) and/or no foam. Flotation is not required to be built in to a boat the size of the 22.

If you aren't comfortable removing the foam because you want any flotation it provides, then that is different. I couldn't tell if it was that or physical considerations you were referring to in deciding not to cut into it.

Do know that the foam in the boats may not provide adequate flotation to "float" the boat anyway. First of all, the amount put in seems somewhat random; second of all it is almost all at one end of the boat; and third I'm not sure it is the correct amount to float the boat (it's possible to calculate, which I have done for other boats in the past, but I haven't done it in a long time and not for my 22, so I'm just guessing on that one). None of that means you should remove it if you prefer to leave it in though, and I'm not a naval architect or engineer.

I removed mine and put hatches in this summer. Mine was full to the brim with "blocks" of styrofoam. I'm happier having access to the hull (for every day purposes and also in case there is a problem I need to get to at sea), but everyone is different that way.

 

[nordicstallion]

Oh ya, those led storage lights were super cool. Some guys get everything. Good job!! Water under portapotty area.. I found some there too in my 19, maybe 1/2 gal. When I bought the boat there was about 10 to 15 gallons of water in the v berth storage with multiple high water marks plus water marks coming down from the chain locker. I fixed the chain locker drain & resealed the brass rub strip screws just to be safe. No more problems! Still wonder where the water came from under portapotty area. Maybe leaked in over the years around the plastic plug as the flotation was damp. Who knows? I agree, it would certainly be nice to have all that storage space, but my foam was pumped in & I really don't relish the idea of the removal process.