Cockpit Lockers

[jhenson]

I am thinking of how to design a set of seat lockers that appoximates the basic dimensions of the late model Triton. These would be "L" shaped plywood with solid wood faces).

First of all, which of the marine plywood species would give me the best matching appearance with honduras mahogany trim?

I am planning on making the deep athwartship gutter sections by laminated three pieces of ply to get the proper profile. These would then be epoxy coated in the channels.

Would someone be able to give me the basic dimensions of the original lockers, and tell me how deep the inboard drain gutters are where they exit into the cockpit?

I am still scratching my head trying to figure out how I need to attach the gutters to the underside of the cockpit seats. There are plywood stringers that add support to the seat structure that I guess that I will be cutting back enough to get a flat surface to glass in the gutters.

The plan is to work on these in my workshop during the hot summer days here in Virginia when it's too miserable to work under the cover.

Thanks in advance for the help.

Joe

[Tim]

You can find some pieces of Meranti plywood that are clear enough and with nice grain to allow clear finishing, if desired. Some are better than others, so if you can go somewhere and pick and choose, you'll have the best luck.

I can measure my lockers later, but can't get on the boat now because I just varnished the toerail. Which measurements do you want--the basic opening size?

[Figment]

I'm interested to know if you (or anyone else with a later model) wish that Pearson had done any of those dimensions differently.

[Tim]

One thing I would change is that the gutters are way too deep and invasive. They exit only about 3" above the sole, which is silly, and the deep fiberglass gutters make access to the forward part of the locker much more difficult than it needs to be. They only need to be deep enough to promote good drainage; half the distance would have been OK.

I also would have extended the lids further forward--there's no particular reason why they should end where they do, considering the storage space that's available at the forward ends of the lockers.

The lockers are small, and the seats narrow, so there's only so much that could be done. But there is room for improvement if one is contemplating reworking the setup, like you guys with the old-style "death lockers".

[jhenson]

Tim,

I don,t need the dimensions that soon. I need to get some marine plywood in the next few weeks to build a rudder and dagerboard for my brother's dinghy (as if I didn't have enough to do), but there is no rush. I'll get the plywood for this at the same time. I guess the opening size is really what I need. I don't know if I want to do this as a rectangular or trapazoid shape yet. I'm trying to simplify the design where possible.

Also, if you could give the distance from the top of the seats to drain holes I'll get an idea of the angle required to drain the gutters.

Was that Meranti that was used for your lazerette locker and sea hood, and what thickness did you use?

Thanks,

Joe

[jhenson]

Tim,

Your last post came as I was typing the one above, so that answers the question about the gutter angle.

Joe

[Tim]

Was that Meranti that was used for your lazerette locker and sea hood, and what thickness did you use?

No, that's mahogany veneer plywood, exterior grade. It is not a marine ply--that is, it has interior laminations of inferior quality, and does not meet the quality standards. So far so good with it, but it's definitely not as nice a structural product as Meranti.

However, for actually matching real mahogany, the veneer ply is a must. Meranti looks OK in some cases, but never has the rich look of Honduras mahogany; it's more like Lauan.