Storage Space Beneath Sole of Cockpit

[Craig Weis]

On a C-P 19, I spoke with Rich Hutchins at the All Sail Show about removing that blue carpeted foam 'box' beneath the sole of the cockpit, starting from behind the port-a-potty and finishing  for some storage space.

He himmmmmed and Hawwwwed, and said, "well I guess it could be done but you'd want to reinforce the cockpit floor."

I'm thinking that 1" x 1" hardwood grillage at about 6" to 8" square and the size of the cockpit floor, from the underside, carried by stringers, maybe 5 per side, to the inside of the hull and smoothed and rounded to a taper and glassed in place would provide all the stiffening you may require? I'd pop a floor down here to remove the slope from the hull providing a flat floor to store stuff. Sail bags or what ever.

thanks for your thoughts on this in advance. Be creative.  skip.

Anybody have ideas on this project.

[Craig Weis]

Anybody here think that this foam box support can be taken out from under the cockpit sole?

[bro t]

I think one could probably do that, but I personally like the idea of the extra flotation.  But think of your heaviest passenger, standing in the cockpit, the foam is a great carrier because it's continuous, allowing no deflection.  You might regret it if you don't replace the foam with plywood (continuous contact) and support as rugged as the original.

[Craig Weis]

bro t
Well fill a Com-Pac 19 up with just a little water and she will sink like a rock! No amount of floatation will help.

Yes I agree full contact with the bottom of the cockpit sole is a must when removing the foam block that is under the sole. However the builder says it can be done with the proper use of supports.  :idea:

I keep looking at that space and seeing a cave in which to put 'stuff' I don't need when I sail.

LOL skip...it would be unique. I could extend the births under the settees and move the battery into the 'cave'. Mabe a pull out chart table like on a C-P 23 or a small galley thingy. BUT! all this places weight in the stern, just where I don't want it for 'best speed'. skip

[steve brown]

Skip, I thought there was a law that stated that a boat under a certain length (26 ft ?) had to have positive flotation. Can't one add extra flotation under the V berth on the 19? Steve :shock:

[Craig Weis]

Steve, our Com-Pac 19's have 800 lbs of cement in the keel, while the rest of the 2000 lb gross is the hull, cabin and ancillary equipment.

Displacement in seawater of a Com-Pac 19 is 31.25 cubic foot, or just beyond total and complete filling of foam is necessary to float her. And that is not a guarantee either.

No she's a rock. Fill her with water and she goes down... :cry: this anyway is what Rich Hutchins [builder of Com-Pac yachts] told me at the Navy Pier boat show back in 2003. skip.

[bro t]

Well Skip, you just burst my bubble!  I noticed the foam when we freshened the interior white (the second year we had her), and felt some sense of (now false?) assurance that the foam was there to provide some flotation, whereas your explanation makes more sense, to provide support for the cockpit sole without adding weight (crew do that).  I think you meant cubic feet for the displacement?  A cp16 displaces just under 19 cubic feet, that would require a lot of foam/trapped air to keep a swamped boat afloat at the surface.  Steve Callahan wrote of his 76 days in a raft, in  "Adrift", how his boat sank in minutes, and that whole night in a heavy gale, his boat remained afloat, though swamped.  It's an unbelievable story, well worth buying for a good read.  Last I knew, he still lives mostly bluewater cruising.

[Craig Weis]

Yes you are correct. I was talking CUBIC FOOT of water. Not GALLONS of water. Thank You. I edited the correction above.

Below post I quoted the 'law' that allows for the non-flotation 'business' that applies to sailing boats of short stature.

And I did read Adrift. Good book he did things to stay alive that I may not have thought about.skip.

[Craig Weis]

From the USPS BOAT SMART CLASS that I was honored to teach the 'middle' section just the other week I find this in the manual...

"Single hull boats less than 20 foot long must be manufactured with floation. Inboard and I/O boats must have enough floatation to keep some portion of the boat above the surface of the water after flooding or capsizing accident. Outboard boats must float level at or just below the surface of the water if holed or swamped, even when loaded with passengers and gear. Sailboats, canoes, kayaks, and inflatable boats are exempt from compliance with this standard. If your boat doesn't have such floation, you may want to add some."

So our Com-Pacs are exempt and will sink. Put on your PFD, grab the 'Didi mau' [get-the-hell-out-of-here kit] and fire-off that radio call and hit the MOB button [which in a few years will be a DIRECT and INSTANT mayday call/and GPS location to the Coast Guard]. And hope that she goes down with the mast last because your antanna is on the very top-O-mast. Right? Skip thinks that a small float with about 250 foot of light but strong nylon line is a good idea in a storm for it will mark the boats grave. May it not be your grave. skip