CD-33 cockpit sole question

[Vincent]

I am wondering if anyone has installed a hatch in the sole of their cockpit. I am 6 ft 5 in and my days of coiling into a small space are almost at an end. I can see areas aft of my engine that I would like to get to, but if I go there, I won't be coming back. I have thought about cutting out the sole and putting in either a purchased hatch or one that I make. I would like access to the steering quadrant gear, and eventually I need to install self steering. Any thoughts, ideas, suggestions will be much appreciated. I have considered the option of training a monkey or hiring a leprechaun.

[Sea Hunt Video]

Vincent:

My first choice would be a Leprechaun (especially if he magically provided Guinness). My second choice might be reading this article (while enjoying a Guinness ):

http://www.triton381.com/projects/small ... thatch.htm

[K Chiswell]

Vincent,

I put a hatch in my 330. It is a commercial style all aluminum hatch. Hamilton Marine has large selection of sizes and styles. I cannot remember what size I went with but I can squeeze through it (I'm not a small guy). It is really nice to be able to see and access steering system and shaft seal without emptying the lazarette.

good luck

[John Stone]

I have thought about installing the exact aluminum hatch in the cockpit sole of the Far Reach if ever I install an onboard engine. As long as the quality is very high and it does not leak, it seems like a good way to solve engine access issues in an otherwise very tight and confined space.

[tjr818]

Before we bought our CD27 I looked at an Eastward Ho 24. One to the most impressive features of that design was the fact that the entire cockpit sole was a removable hatch On one of the Eastward Ho 24's that I looked at, one with an outboard rather than the more common inboard, the guy had a full size bicycle stored under the cockpit He had tons of stuff underneath and it all looked neat and dry, even after he sailed down to Florida from New York. On our 27 there is a lot of room going to waste underneath the cockpit. It would be nice to be able to use it.

[John Stone]

I think it may depend on what kind of sailing you are doing. For coastal sailing, I am sure a quality hatch would be fine. But for offshore work, I'm not so sure. Getting popped with 200 gallons of green water in your cockpit would apply a lot of pressure to the gadgets of a cockpit sole hatch. I'd want to talk with someone that has personal experience with one.

[John Danicic]

I do know that Mike (Ritt) of "LaVida", CD33 installed one in his cockpit as I took this photo a few years back.

It was some kind of manhole cover that facilitated access.

[Jim Walsh]

Those are all great ideas. I purchased an Acme Portable Hole and I find it quite versatile as I can install it where and when needed and easily remove it once my task is complete.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=_PYPfJyIFrA

[Vincent]

Jim:
Nice. And timely for April Fools. I was watching expecting the "commercial" to be over before I got it. Been working to much. Actually I am thinking if the aluminum hatch is big enough I will go that route. My other option is to build a hatch, and frame it in. Then I could have it custom sized to the limits of the sole. More room for me to get in the hole. I am also concerned about the large size of the cockpit. I have also been thinking of installing 3 inch or 4 inch cockpit drains in the aft wall of the cockpit that would run out the transom above the waterline. The two small drains in the front of the cockpit seem pretty small. I would place one way valves in the lines.

All of this is on hold for now. I will be getting a late start this spring. On Friday we fly to Lisbon, then Horta, Azores where we board Eye of the Wind, a 132 ft brigantine, for a 13 day passage to St Helier, Jersey, the home port for the ship. They are crossing the Atlantic now for their cruise schedule this summer in the Baltic.
For anyone interested, their are YouTube videos of this ship. We found it after Cruising World did a 4 page article is Dec 2015.

[hilbert]

I'm also bothered by the large cockpit volume, especially without the deck-bridge of the later model 28s.
The original Spartan valves on the scuppers were only 1-1/4", which I have replaced with full bore 1-1/2" (which still feels inadequate).

I was also considering running drains aft and out the transom, but I've since decided to run heavy fiberglass tubes straight down.
The tubes will serve double purpose as drains and support for the cockpit floor. I'll use disks cut from G10 on the ends to distribute the loads.
The tube has an outside diameter of 3" and an inside diameter of 2". A 2" diameter hole has 77% more area than a 1.5" hole!

Most of the time the added drains will not be necessary and I will close them off with quick release Cherne's gripper plugs, on which I will replace the screw and wing nut with 316 stainless:

[Jim Walsh]

I'm also bothered by the large cockpit volume, especially without the deck-bridge of the later model 28s.
The original Spartan valves on the scuppers were only 1-1/4", which I have replaced with full bore 1-1/2" (which still feels inadequate).

I was also considering running drains aft and out the transom, but I've since decided to run heavy fiberglass tubes straight down.
The tubes will serve double purpose as drains and support for the cockpit floor. I'll use disks cut from G10 on the ends to distribute the loads.
The tube has an outside diameter of 3" and an inside diameter of 2". A 2" diameter hole has 77% more area than a 1.5" hole!

Most of the time the added drains will not be necessary and I will close them off with quick release Cherne's gripper plugs, on which I will replace the screw and wing nut with 316 stainless:

That's a great idea. I'm not very familiar with the CD28 so I'm wondering if the tubes will terminate above the waterline? It would be nice not to have to get involved with additional seacocks and through hulls if possible. At the size which would be required they would be a large (no pun intended) investment.

[hilbert]

That's a great idea. I'm not very familiar with the CD28 so I'm wondering if the tubes will terminate above the waterline? It would be nice not to have to get involved with additional seacocks and through hulls if possible. At the size which would be required they would be a large (no pun intended) investment.

There should be no need for seacocks or thru-hulls. When properly glassed in between the hull and the bottom of the cockpit sole, the tube with 1/2" walls should be intrinsically safe. Similar in concept to the rudder tube or a centerboard well. For peace of mind, I'll cut out some disks from G10 to help distribute the loads on the ends. Here is a quick sketch, not to scale:

[John Stone]

The backing plates to spread the loads are probably a good idea. I think, however, you are going to find that getting access to the top and bottom of the tubes in that very small space will be very difficult. You'll need to be able to make thick smooth epoxy fillets and apply wraps of wetted out biaxial tape to ensure that the joint between the tube and the hull and tube and underside of cockpit is very strong. This can be very difficult unless you can get good access to and visibility on what your doing. You'll probably want to wrap the epoxy around the filleted before it is fully cured to eliminate the need for sanding as it will be a tough task. It might be easier to install the tubes horizontally out the back of the cockpit with as much downward slant as you can achieve while still getting access to both ends for the necessary epoxy work.

[hilbert]

I realize that poor installation of a tube at or below the waterline could be catastrophic. This is not a high priority on my list and I'll take it slow. Surprisingly, access on the the 28 to the rear corners of the cockpit floor is fair to good. I would need to cut away some of the plywood support, which is the reason why the tubes also would have to perform as a structural element.


Fortunately on good advice from the forum, this seacock was not installed at this location.

[John Stone]

That certainly looks like very good access.