New Shelf for the Cockpit Locker

Adding a shelf outboard along the hull in the cockpit locker will provide some additional storage possibilities and a platform on which to mount the refrigeration compressor.  

The fore end of the shelf will rest upon the top of the new bulkhead. 

Test fit of new 1/2" plywood shelf in cockpit locker.

Tabbing a ½” plywood panel to the upper, aft interior of the cockpit locker (upper, left in image above) allowed me to easily attach a bracket to support the aft end of the shelf.

The shelf will be tabbed to the hull along the outboard side thus another round of grinding to expose the fiberglass hull.

Pile of gel-coat and fiberglass dust after grinding to expose bare fiberglass. YUCK!

I am eager to be done with grinding fiberglass inside the boat.  It creates a huge mess and fine dust spreads throughout the interior.

We created the new shelf using the 1/2” prefinished birch plywood.  Unfortunately the nice finished surface must be ground off in the areas receiving tabbing. 

48" run of 1708 cloth tabbing between the hull and the new cockpit shelf.
For people familiar with the M382, yes, this photo was taken from below the helm seat.

We installed a 48” X 6” strip of 1708 cloth .  The tabbing stiffens and strengthens the shelf significantly. 

Next, we applied two coats of primer and two coats of paint to the shelf and the upper sections of the cockpit locker.

Ahh... the satisfaction of fresh, unmarred paint.

Our plan is to mount the refrigerator compressor near the aft end of the shelf.  Then install one maybe two vents in the cockpit side wall to provide the unit with fresh air. The forward end of the shelf will store cleaning, maintenance, misc supplies in plastic bins.  To keep the plastic bins in place while the boat heels we added a tall fiddle along open face of the shelf.

Teak fiddle installed on the shelf and deck drain hose secured to underside of shelf.

Next up is installing the engine access panels and plumbing the lower and middle bilge pump discharge hoses to the drain manifold.

More images and notes from this on-going project are available in the Cockpit Locker Refit Photo Album