New chart storage in a CD32....

[Cathy Monaghan]

Here's one of my projects.

We created a chart locker in the space between the water tank and the top of the settee on the port side. There were only a few inches between the two, but it's enough to store charts, even small spare parts.

The seat for the settee is two separate pieces on our boat. It may be only one on yours. So you'll need to remove either the whole thing or just the piece over the tank.

Determine the width of the new "locker". I wanted to keep our new chart locker over the tank but you can make yours as wide as you want. Then I cut and shaped two wood blocks from 2x4 stock. They have to be shaped to match the contour of the hull. Once that was done they were glassed to the hull with epoxy and fiberglass. I used a West System Epoxy Repair Kit (it has everything you need).

Directly opposite these two wood blocks, I attached two more wooden blocks to the inside of the face of the settee. To these blocks I would attach what would become the fore and aft sides of the locker.

<a href="http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c349/ ... 302541.jpg" target="_blank"><img width="500" src="http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c349/ ... 1.jpg"></a>
Fig. 1 - The aft block glassed to the hull and the new aft side of the chart locker. You're looking at it's aft side.

For the sides I cut two pieces of 1/2" plywood. They were cut so that they straddled the tank on both the port and starboard side of the tank. To these pieces we fastened a length of aluminum L-channel right above the tank. This would accommodate the new floor for the chart locker.

<a href="http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c349/ ... 302540.jpg" target="_blank"><img width="500" src="http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c349/ ... 0.jpg"></a>
Fig. 2 - Note how the sides surround the tank and that the top of the side is the same height as the lip of the opening.

<a href="http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c349/ ... 302538.jpg" target="_blank"><img width="500" src="http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c349/ ... 8.jpg"></a>
Fig. 3 - Both new chart locker sides in place with aluminum L-channel.

The floor for the chart locker was cut from 1/2" plywood. It was cut in half fore to aft to make it easier to install and an opening was cut to allow access to the tank's inspection port. Once in place, the floor was held in place with wooden "cleats".

<a href="http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c349/ ... 312545.jpg" target="_blank"><img width="500" src="http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c349/ ... 5.jpg"></a>
Fig. 4 - The floor of the chart locker.

<a href="http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c349/ ... 312547.jpg" target="_blank"><img width="500" src="http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c349/ ... 7.jpg"></a>
Fig. 5 - Close-up of one of the wooden cleats. Note that it's notched to accommodate the L-channel.

<a href="http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c349/ ... 312548.jpg" target="_blank"><img width="500" src="http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c349/ ... 8.jpg"></a>
Fig. 6 - This shows the size of the locker. It is much larger than a full-size ChartKit.

A new opening was cut in the settee seat for access to the new locker and a lip was formed by glueing and fastening plywood strips to the underside of the seat around the opening. The opening was made wide enough so that a ChartKit could be slipped in without bending or folding.

<a href="http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c349/ ... 012550.jpg" target="_blank"><img width="500" src="http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c349/ ... 0.jpg"></a>
Fig. 7 - The new opening (with lip) in the settee seat.

The cover was fashioned from the wood that was removed to make the opening to the locker. A finger-hole was drilled to make it easy to open. Two hinges were insalled and they entire thing was painted.

<a href="http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c349/ ... 012554.jpg" target="_blank"><img width="500" src="http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c349/ ... 4.jpg"></a>
Fig. 8 - The finished locker.

For this locker we keep all of the charts and ChartKits in plastic covers. This protects them just in case there's any leakage from the inspection port.

Cathy
CD32 Realization, #3
Rahway, NJ
Raritan Bay