onthewater
New member
The Splash Well Shelf
We wanted a place where we could set the Honda EU 2000 generator, and BBQ, as well.
For most of the summer, we’d been BBQing on the aft deck, but it presented both a tripping hazard, as well as the potential for a burned nose if one of the “crew” sniffed too closely.
The Captain perused some of the many ideas and solutions illustrated by different C-Brats, and was thinking along the lines of a piece of painted plywood, or Starboard. The Admiral said “absolutely not”. Time to head back to the drawing board.
A company called Grab Bar (grabbar.com) makes fixtures for bathrooms, and carries a large variety of stainless steel products. They’re made in the USA (pretty unusual) and offer very good service. We ordered a pair of grab bars to mount on the sides of the plash well, and act as a shelf support. We wanted something that would look as though it belonged on board, but also be capable of supporting the anticipated weight.
The Admiral had teak in mind. Our previous Taiwanese trawler was loaded with teak. Although beautiful to see, it was a maintenance nightmare. We swore we would never, ever again sand, oil, or varnish! (But, you know how that goes).
A company called Diamond Teak (diamondteak.com) owns a plantation in Costa Rica, and harvests their wood in an environmentally responsible manner. We found them on eBay, where they were selling tongue and groove solid teak flooring materials.
If the tongues and grooves were trimmed flush, that would make mighty fine shelf material. The idea was to make it along the lines of a swim step grate design, often seen on larger boats.
Once the teak was trimmed, I rounded over the sides and edges on a router table, and set it aside. I took a piece of stiff cardboard and made a template, and cut a piece for the grab bar “opening”. Then I began to size the individual strips to proper length, and cut the correct angle on each end.
Since wood naturally contracts and expands with changes in humidity, I drilled oversize holes and fitted the grates together with cross braces. Stainless steel machine bolts, flat and lock washers secured the pieces together. It took lots of trimming and fitting to get the sizing right, but was worth the time.
Finally, I bought a piece of 1” OD aluminum tubing, with a rubber cap (like one would find on the end of a cane, or lawn furniture) sized to fit.
I made a pillow block, and bored a 1” diameter hole through the center. This block was mounted with stainless steel wood screws on the center cross piece, and the tube was trimmed to proper length.
The whole thing ended up being very sturdy, and provides more than sufficient room for both BBQ and generator. There is a little “give” to it, so vibrations from the running generator are not telegraphed throughout the boat.
We think it's attractive, and it stores easily either in the V berth, or in the dinghy tied to the cabin top, while underway.
One note: We cannot tilt the outboard up with the shelf installed, as it would "make contact".
Since that project is completed, there have been many more added to “the list”.
Isn't that always the way? (Pictures in our album; Sal Salis Vita.)
We wanted a place where we could set the Honda EU 2000 generator, and BBQ, as well.
For most of the summer, we’d been BBQing on the aft deck, but it presented both a tripping hazard, as well as the potential for a burned nose if one of the “crew” sniffed too closely.
The Captain perused some of the many ideas and solutions illustrated by different C-Brats, and was thinking along the lines of a piece of painted plywood, or Starboard. The Admiral said “absolutely not”. Time to head back to the drawing board.
A company called Grab Bar (grabbar.com) makes fixtures for bathrooms, and carries a large variety of stainless steel products. They’re made in the USA (pretty unusual) and offer very good service. We ordered a pair of grab bars to mount on the sides of the plash well, and act as a shelf support. We wanted something that would look as though it belonged on board, but also be capable of supporting the anticipated weight.
The Admiral had teak in mind. Our previous Taiwanese trawler was loaded with teak. Although beautiful to see, it was a maintenance nightmare. We swore we would never, ever again sand, oil, or varnish! (But, you know how that goes).
A company called Diamond Teak (diamondteak.com) owns a plantation in Costa Rica, and harvests their wood in an environmentally responsible manner. We found them on eBay, where they were selling tongue and groove solid teak flooring materials.
If the tongues and grooves were trimmed flush, that would make mighty fine shelf material. The idea was to make it along the lines of a swim step grate design, often seen on larger boats.
Once the teak was trimmed, I rounded over the sides and edges on a router table, and set it aside. I took a piece of stiff cardboard and made a template, and cut a piece for the grab bar “opening”. Then I began to size the individual strips to proper length, and cut the correct angle on each end.
Since wood naturally contracts and expands with changes in humidity, I drilled oversize holes and fitted the grates together with cross braces. Stainless steel machine bolts, flat and lock washers secured the pieces together. It took lots of trimming and fitting to get the sizing right, but was worth the time.
Finally, I bought a piece of 1” OD aluminum tubing, with a rubber cap (like one would find on the end of a cane, or lawn furniture) sized to fit.
I made a pillow block, and bored a 1” diameter hole through the center. This block was mounted with stainless steel wood screws on the center cross piece, and the tube was trimmed to proper length.
The whole thing ended up being very sturdy, and provides more than sufficient room for both BBQ and generator. There is a little “give” to it, so vibrations from the running generator are not telegraphed throughout the boat.
We think it's attractive, and it stores easily either in the V berth, or in the dinghy tied to the cabin top, while underway.
One note: We cannot tilt the outboard up with the shelf installed, as it would "make contact".
Since that project is completed, there have been many more added to “the list”.
Isn't that always the way? (Pictures in our album; Sal Salis Vita.)