A27 - Lockers with Bottoms

[sailonset]

We have two cockpit seat openings on March Hare, but one leads to a hot water heater and shore power charger and the other to a bow thruster/windlass battery. Both being a long arm's reach down. And not where you want to toss stuff! A lot of space going to waste here! Is this usual?

Anyway I built a "basket" or insert for the starboard opening. It fits nicely, so another, 1/4" less wide and a full foot deep, is next, for the port side. The bodies are made from 1/4" PVC sheet, cemented together. The wooden ends, made from Meranti stair balusters, will rest on cleats epoxied under the opening sides/drains.

Best,
dge

[Randall]

Hats off for a very clever use of space. Being short of arm I currently use a “reacher,grabber,tool” but no more.

Randall
“Meridian”
Albin 27FC

[motthediesel]

That’s a great idea! You could even “Russian Doll” it with another shallow tray in the top of that one.

[DesertAlbin736]

Very clever!

Questions:

a) Where does one find PVC sheet like that?
b)Is that different from HDPE "Star Board"?
c)What kind of cement/adhesive did you use to glue them together?

My plastic OEM fresh water tank up in the bow has been giving me fits lately with a small leak which I thought I'd fixed after I pulled the tank out (no small task), epoxied the leaks, tested it & put it back in, only to find it still leaks. It's contoured to fit the space way up front and under the V berth/settees & would be difficult to find a ready made replacement that would fit.

[motthediesel]

I know that PVC sheet is available at Lowes, at least here in NNY, and it has entirely different properties than Starboard. Not as dense, stiff, or as strong as UHDPE (ultra high density polyethylene) but bond-able with PVC plumbing cement, and MUCH cheaper. I know our Lowes has 4'x8'x3/8" white sheets for about $80. That kind of money would only get you a little chunk of Starboard.

[sailonset]

Can't believe that this is the way all of the Albins were made! Might be workable if no mechanical or electrical parts were down there. Still a long way down. Glad to have found a solution.

Yup, this is cellular PVC sheet. Way lighter, cheaper, and easier to glue than HDPE. Home Depot's brand is called Veranda. Like plywood, they also have lots of 2x4 "project" panels. I figure this 1/4" can handle dock lines but not anchors. I'm using Christy's Red Hot White Adhesive for PVC/Vinyl from Ace Hardware to glue things together. (Have to support my local HW store; especially since they have an awesome collection of SS hardware.)

I plan to use 1/2" sheets to enclose the berth footwells. And the meranti 2x2 pieces for trim and cleats everywhere.

Best,
dge

[WillieC]

The A25s have near bottomless pits in front of the quarter berths. The starboard side has a mid-depth split shelf below the manual Whale bilge pump. Split for ease of removal for retrieving your smuggled goods.

The port side, about half the length of the starboard stowage, almost requires one to tie a rope around one ankle, lashing the free end to a cleat. A confined space entry sniffer wouldn't be a bad idea either. I made it into a two level bin and keep only important spare parts in the lower section. I have no idea what I jammed in there four years ago.

[DCatSea]

Lovely idea. They are deep and a grabber is an important bit of kit for most 27 owners. I use baskets rescued from Safeway port side, stbd contains fenders, hoses, lines and buckets, but your idea is much better.