A Binocular Box

[John Stone]

What do I do with the scrap teak from my old dorade boxes?

The teak boxes were taking up space in my shop. They were in bad shape. After holding on to them for a couple years after I built new boxes https://farreachvoyages.net/2018/04/07/ ... g-dorades/ I was about to toss them. At the last minute I decided I could repurpose the wood and make a binocular box.

I don't like having things in brackets all over the boat. I have avoided radio cords, fire extinguishers (I have four but they are not visible) or pencil racks or fruit hammocks. I know those things can make it easier to get to stuff and adds space when there is not a lot of storage on the boat. But all that stuff hanging and swinging as the boat sails is distracting to my eye. It also makes the interior look smaller.

I always put the Stiner 7X50s away when not in use. Or I set them next to the chart table in the Q berth or in the cockpit when sailing. But it was an imperfect temporary solution. I decided to make the bino box removable so I can put it away when the binos are not in use so the cabin is not unnecessarily cluttered. Because it's removable I can take the box up and hang it on either coaming when I am using the binos underway. Now ai won't have to worry about them sliding off the cockpit seat. Or I could hang the box on the companionway bottom drop board. The bare teak cap to the coaming is the same width as the bare walnut cap on the Q berth.

I half-lapped the joints to include the bottom, which is recessed flush. I used West GFLEX epoxy to glue them up. I used some scrap bronze for the brackets and glued leather where the box makes contact with the varnished bulkhead or coamings. The boxes kinda matches the drink caddy https://farreachvoyages.net/2018/11/10/ ... #more-1260 I use in the cockpit or next to the sink when off-shore.

I'm looking forward to trying it out.

[Jim Walsh]

Very nice, great idea. It’s always a pleasure to make use of those teak “scraps”.
I have sheet bags in my cockpit (staysail, jib, main, and the port and starboard preventers which I rig for offshore use on the main) which also serve to secure things such as an air horn, binoculars, hand held VHF, etc. We don’t need stuff bouncing around in the cockpit, or out of reach when required.

[S/V Ethan Grey]

Good stuff, as always.

[wikakaru]

That's a good solution, John, to make the binoculars both handy when you need them and out of the way when you don't. One of the things I like about my CD22 is the starboard lazarette has a little tray at one end of the opening that holds small stuff so it doesn't fall to the bottom of the locker. Not quite as handy as your binocular rack, but fairly easy to get to yet still out of the way.

Smooth sailing,

Jim

[John Stone]

Thanks for the kind words. It was a fun and easy project. It's a balancing act to keep things accessible but not create clutter.

I took the box to the boat. It seems like it should work well. We will see what the reality is in an operational environment. Sometimes, what you think is a great idea turns out to be a bust when the idea collides with reality.

[wikakaru]

Nice that it fits over the berth fiddles as well as the coaming! Cool!

--Jim