CS 17 #135

[Charles Neuman]

I have the plans, and I'm doing a lot of daydreaming about this boat right now. I have some questions:

1) Does the deck hatch attach to the deck in a secure way? It looks like it just rests on top of the opening. I see that there is a gasket, but in order to make a good seal, it seems like you'd need some hardware, but I don't see any in most of the pictures I have seen.

2) Regarding the seat hatches: Is there any reason why I shouldn't put the hatches on the vertical part of the seats, where your feet are? It makes them a little less accessible, but it means the seat top could be perfectly smooth. I could also use a large rectangular plastic hatch in that position, and it wouldn't be too noticable.

3) If I finished the seat tops bright but painted the vertical parts of the seats, are there any suggestions on making a good-looking transition? It seems like I should have a piece of molding there to distinguish the two surfaces, maybe a piece that overlaps the vertical panel a bit. That part would also be finished bright. Below that it would be painted white.

Charles Neuman

Long Island, NY

[Tom Williams]

Congratulations Charles. You're in for an exciting adventure. I'm only a couple of months into my CS17 but I'll give you my thoughts on your questions.

1) I believe I've seen pictures of hinges on the deck hatches. I'm still wrestling whether to put the forward hatch on the deck on on the forward bulkhead.

2) I believe you could put the hatches on the vertical surface of the seat but you'll need to reinforce the stringers supporting the seats. I've been hopping in and out of mine while fitting my CB trunk and I'm worried I might slip and land on the seat stringers. The main load carrying structure for the seats is the vertical plywood.

3) I like your paint idea. It may give the illusion of a cantilevered seat while having the structure of the plywood!

My wife went to Fla. for the week to visit sisters and took the camera. I'll post some more pictures when she's back next weekend. It's great seeing how other people approached their building. Good luck with yours!

Tom

[JeffM]

Charles,

I'm building a CS20, and have also played around with hatch placement. I decided to go for So-Pac plastic hatches. I will install a large rectangular hatch in the aft bulkhead (fits nicely, with an opening big enough to get my head and shoulders into), and medium rectangular hatches into the seat tops of both aft and forward tanks. Though these hatches are not flush -- standing about half-an-inch above the seat surfaces and making "bumps" in my future bunks -- the seat sides were just not deep enough. Also, Graham has pointed out that any water in the bilge will tend to splash against the tank sides when heeling and get into any unsecured side openings. I'm still ruminating over the forepeak hatch: I can't see trying to access it through the foreward bulkhead -- given the cramped space between the foredeck and foreward seat top -- but I don't know whether to put yet a 4th So-Pac hatch up on the foredeck, or something else.

Good luck!

Jeff Michals-Brown

[Charles Neuman]

Thanks for the comments.

I think what I would need to do for the seats, if I finish only the tops bright, is to have a piece of trim on that edge, nicely rounded over. Not only to make a good transition from brightwork to paint, but also to hide the edge of the plywood, which won't look so good.

In one of the boats on the CD of pictures, it looks like someone did that. Anyone know who's boat that is? It's from NC. The woodwork is beautiful. There's a nice wooden cap that fits into the center mast hole.

Charles

[Brent]

Charles,

I sail a cs20. For what it is worth here is my perspective.

1) The foredeck hatch is a great asset. It provide easy access to a vast storage space up front. I hold my anchor and rode, dock lines, emergency bailing bucket, and a few other odd things. On longer trips this space is very handy, but I choose carefully what goes up here to avoid weighting the bow excessively. If you are broad in the shoulder you may find a hatch slightly wider than the plans to be useful.

2) I use the side seat hatches on every outing. They provide fast access to dry storage. I often find myself opening these with one hand while the other hand sails the boat. Making them side entry would not be my preference due to the giving up the convenience of the fast entry with the top hatch.

If I was starting over I would go with Jeff's idea about bulkhead face entry to the stern compartment. A hatch in the rear bulkhead would provide better access to this space for the way I use that space, and avoid the top hatch blowing open while trailering.

3) The bright finish is beautiful. If you are going this way recognize that you are committing to ongoing maintenance to keep the finish looking goog and UV protected. Probably want to store your boat under a roof. I painted.

[Charles Neuman]

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I see your point about the seat hatches. They do seem convenient.

One concern I have is that in order to provide proper flotation (in the case of a capsize), they really need to be water tight. I think it would be hard to do that with such a large homemade hatch like that. On the other hand, maybe the forward and aft chambers might provide enough flotation, even if the side ones leak a little. I could be too paranoid here, but I want to be sure the boat floats if it goes over!

Charles

[Ken_Potts]

I'm building hatches into the fore and aft decks. I thought long and hard about putting the hatches in the bulkheads. I decided not to put the forepeak hatch into the foreward bulkhead because I then wouldn't be able to use the front area of the cockpit (under the deck) as a place to put stuff while camping (I don't want to dig everything out just to get into the forepeak). I decided to put the lazarette hatch on the deck instead of the bulkhead for no good reason really. I still think the aft bulkhead is a good place for the hatch even though I didn't do it.

A while back someone on this forum mentioned a nice way to hold the hatches closed that I'm planning on using - Attach bungee cord inside the locker and put a hook on the inside of the hatch. To open the hatch you just pull it up and stretch the bungee cord until you can get a hand in to unhook it from the hatch. If you do it this way it's probably a good idea to keep the attachment point of the bungee as far as you can from the hook on the hatch. That way there's a longer stretch available... I'm not sure I said that clearly.

If you'd like a good visual guide of where the water goes when the boat goes over take a look at this thread http://www.messing-about.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2969&sid=c058dd8f347bc34cf1a560eb2a40c4f2

The pictures of the capsize test show the hatches staying pretty well out of the water in a knock down. If the boat turtles I would guess that a leaky hatch wouldn't be too catastrophic because the air would be trapped in the hull anyway (I'll be shocked if I ever get my boat all the way upside down, too).

Congrats on your new project - It's a fun one.

[Charles Neuman]

I've seen those capsize photos. They are pretty encouraging!

As for the rear hatch, here' s an idea: If the rear hatch is on the surface of the deck, and it's large enough, it seems like you could store a small outboard in there. I know that some people like to have a 2hp outboard stashed away and not installed on the mount. They use it mostly for emergencies. It might be harder to get in there if the hatch is on the bulkhead. Just an idea. I don't know if the dimensions work out.

Charles

[Ken_Potts]

I'd like to find a good place to put a small motor too. I think you'd pretty much have to have the motor first to see how small an opening you could twist it through.

Somewhere (probably through one of these postings) I've seen a photo of a small sailboat that has a trolling motor built into the lazarette in such a way that you open the hatch and the motor swings out and over the gunwhale into the water at the side of the stern. That would be a neat thing to do but it would require a huge hatch. I still haven't solved the outboard motor storage problem yet so I'll probably end up getting the lightest motor I can find and just tying it down somewhere

Hmm... Here's a wacky idea - Instead of putting the hatch on the deck or the bulkhead, maybe a flush hatch in the hull side would work for a slide-out outboard (the motor slides out prop first then swings down into the water).

I don't think I'm going to try that one anytime soon...

[Brent]

Ken, Thinking about motor mounts, I considered cutting away a section of transom to allow a motor to be mounted off center and forward of the transom in a recessed and covered area under the stern deck. Accessed through a hatch in the stern deck.

I dont like the look of those motors hanging off the back, but probably more significantly I didn't have a motor. Still dont. So far, the more I use the boat the less I feel I need a motor. I've got a big powerful yuloh, but even that doesn't get used so much.