Dock line storage project

[wes]

One of my (few) frustrations with the 27 has been the awkwardness of reaching/climbing down into the deep aft bilge area (engine compartment) to fish out dock lines when approaching a marina. Especially when the dock is rapidly approaching, spectators are watching, and I'm encumbered with PFD, sunglasses, etc. The problem has gotten worse since I installed new cockpit cushions. It's possible I'm not as young and flexible as I once was! I needed a solution to keep dock lines and other lines more easily at hand without cluttering up the cockpit.

So I've modified the bottom of the lazarette hatches to provide hanging storage.

I cut a piece of marine grade plywood, round over the edges with a router, then coated it front and back with epoxy resin to make it waterproof. Because the bottom of my hatches had been painted with a 2-part polyurethane, I scuffed them up with 80 grit sandpaper and used 3M 5200 Fast Cure to glue the plywood to the hatch.

Note: if the hatch had been in original factory condition with the stock gray paint I would have wiped off the paint with acetone, sanded the bare fiberglass with 80 grit, and used thickened epoxy to attach the plywood rather than 5200.



After allowing 24 hours for curing, I mounted six swiveling hooks fashioned from Seadog reefing hooks (Defender 612167) and Ronstan eye straps (Defender 615141).





Here's the final product in use. The eye straps allow the hooks to rotate under gravity and remain vertical regardless of whether the hatch is open or closed.



Bonus feature: this has significantly stiffened up the rigidity of the hatch. It no longer flexes when I step onto the boat.

Live & Learn Department: I used 3/4" plywood, and it added a LOT of weight to the hatch. Wouldn't want it to accidentally fall on my fingers. If I were doing this again, I'd use 1/2" ply. It would be plenty strong and would weigh 33% less.

Wes

[Cruzin]

Nice job! They look great and very helpful!

Dale

[slode]

That's a great idea.  I'm always digging through PFD's and other stuff to get to my fenders.  Hooking the line to the hatch door, I could just grab and yank. 

[jimhuber2]

Wes- That's a great idea! Looks nice too. You have just unknowingly added a project to my to-do list. Even though these boats have an abundance of storage, it is not all easy to get to quickly. Nice solution!