Early Triton Cockpit Lockers

[jhenson]

I have the early Triton side loading cockpit lockers. They still have the mahagony drop boards that are warped and checked. These obviously leak and I am wondering if anyone with one of the early hulls has replaced them with a more seaworthy alternative. I am mulling over ideas of mahagony ply with solid mahagony frames sealed with some kind of weather stripping. It would be nice if I could enlarge the openings somewhat for easier access without compromising the strength of the seat risers. Any design ideas that work or personal observations would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Joe Henson

[Figment]

I mulled over a few ideas a couple of years ago, but eventually decided that I could convert to hinged-seat type access hatches for not much more effort. I haven't gotten around to it yet, but that's the plan.

The side-access system provides such crappy access that it just isn't worth the effort to improve the drop boards, I think.

[jhenson]

I have been thinking to about hinged seat lockers. I think the lid would be fairly simple, and I have seen them in mahagony on a Tartan 27. I guess the complexity for me comes with designing a seal/gutter system on the fixed part of the seat that drains properly into the foot well.

Joe Henson

[Rachel]

I'm thinking ahead in case I can't find a suitable Triton with top-loading cockpit-bench lockers. Also, I've seen a few Bristol 24s in my price range, but they don't have bench lockers at all - just long, inaccessible quarter berths. Bleah!

I remember reading on Tim's Glissando site, where he replaced his leaky Tempress cockpit-floor hatch with a nifty one from Hamilton Marine, but now I'm darned if I can find it again on the Glissando fix-up site...

So Tim - or others: What would you think of the idea of putting one of those high-quality hatches in the bench-top of a Triton or B-24? I Know it wouldn't have the drainage channels that the factory ones have, but, say, the boat was a really good deal in all other respects, yet one just *had* to have cockpit bench stowage accessible from outside the boat...

Comments?

[Tim]

Seems like a reasonable, if expensive, way to provide decent access to the lockers. The opening is relatively small, so one would have to be wary of dropping things into the depths of the locker (such as they are), as humanly retrieval would be tough through a hatch the size of my cockpit sole one.

You wouldn't need the drainage channels if the hatch were watertight. The aluminum Bomar hatches are as watertight as anything, though the channel tends to collect a small amount of water that will spill into the opening when you open the cover. Not a big deal.

Here's the link to the writeup on the hatch replacement:

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

Also check out the Anchor line of hatches (available at Hamilton Marine), as they may have sizes that suit you better. They look to be nice hatches as well.

[jhenson]

I have entertained similar ideas about hatches.

However, the + $700 expense is hard to justify when I consider every other pending high budget item. The closest marine hatch to a serviceable dimension in the Hamilton marine catalog lists for about $330.

Also, I wonder how unconfortable the seats would be with even the lowest profile hatch installed. I guess a set of closed cell foam cushions would take care of that problem.

For me, there seems to be three practical options:

Option1:

I have been considering lately the possiblity of enlarging the side hatches and making a hinged door. There is a wooden boat next to my brother's sailboat in his marina that has side loading lockers. The doors are raised panels (mahagony) with weather stripping around the edges. They are very elegant if not very practical.

I would be interested in anyone's opinion who have kept the side lockers on how difficult they are to use in practice. I am planning to constuct a top loading lazerette hatch which will help in that area. It seems as though the fuel tank side has only limited storage. Storing anything forward of the fuel tank is nearly impossible (which is an area with a fair amount of space).

Option 2:

I have also seen a few pictures online of some plywood flush mounted hatches that look pretty nice. I guess the process involved here would be to construct cleats with gutters routed out and a drain line. I don't yet have a mental picture of how I would plumb the drain lines so that they wouldn't always be in the way of all the stuff in the locker.

Option 3:

I have also considered making a mold and laying up an "L" shaped lid that would appoximate the lid on the late model Tritons. This would involve some fairly intensive labor when I consider that I also need cleats with gutters that drain into the cockpit. I would be nice to see an actual locker frame on a late Triton to get an Idea of how these gutters where constructed.

While I am engaged in many other boat projects with higher priority right now, but I continue to seach for a workable solution to this problem.