PocketShip.net

Hi,

While I am waiting for the plywood to arrive ... I have two questions. Firstly, there are a couple of things that puzzle me in regard to the floorboards. If these boards are screwed down and the screw holes (might) get counterbored and plugged, why would the boards not be treated with epoxy ? Sure, oil is nice, but you never get back to the underside of the boards to re-oil them after some time. Also, should there not be a dab of silicon/sealant over each screw hole ( between board and cleat ) during the final install ? Otherwise, capillary action will make sure that any water ( spills or otherwise ) will get in and stay between the cleat and the floor board for long enough to work itself along one or two of the 100+ screws into the wood ( unprotected from pre-drilling ).

The second question is about the Dorade boxes. I'd like to 'convert' them into storage by running a 1/2" PVC pipe through the bottom of the boxes to take care of the fore-deck drainage. A new floor for each box will then cover these pipes. The question is how big can a make the cut-outs in bulkhead 2 without worrying about strength. Ideally, I would like to leave no more than 1-1/2" to 2" rim. I will, of course, put in a doubler around that larger opening inside the box.

Cheers,

Peter

I simply screwed my floor boards down as per the design. Plugging the screws would make removing them nearly impossible. Why do that? The bilge will need occasional cleaning and re-painting.

You might be surprised how little storage space you'll gain by using the dorade boxes for that purpose. If the Dorade boxes aren't allowed to drain as designed they won't function as vents without flooding. If your intention is to use them only for storage and not as vents then your pvc idea could work. In my opinion using them as vents is the much better thing to do.

Thanks for the comment. I added the word 'might' to the idea of plugging the screw holes, because it has been done before by someone ( and it does look classy ). I agree that occasionally it might be good to lift the floor for some maintenance. I will still use a bit of silicon to seal the cleat/board area - it won't do any harm and allows the boards to come off again. Re the Dorade boxes, I know it is not that much in terms of space, but it would be a nice cosy spot for things that are light and need to stay dry. Re the need for cool air, don't forget that in Southern Tasmania anything above 75F is considered a heat-wave ...

Other builders have installed permanent shelving between bulkhead 2 and 1. You can consider that in addition to the dorade box idea, if you want.

I can confirm that the bilges get very dirty from grass, dirt, dust, etc. If you install a removable access panel in each area, you shouldn't need to remove the floorboards to clean it though.