Anyone have any good solutions for storing their dropboards? My old Nor’sea had a custom built storage rack for the drop boards. Kept them nicely stowed, without sliding, banging or knocking one another. I’ve got 6 of them, 3 solid, 3 screened.
My boat has 2 dropboards and I put them in the forward gutter of the cockpit. They fit snugly and stay put real well.
Itchen has a “came with the boat” “Dropboard Cozy” made by stitching two
dropboard-sized pockets into a long-enough piece of padded thick soft
quilted textile (a few inches longer than twice the height of a dropboard).
The end result is a varnish-friendly, rattle-free dropboard-sized package
which can be placed anywhere there’s dry convenient space. For us that is
usually in the quarter-berth “garage”.
Scott
On Mon, May 16, 2011 at 15:43, BCC Forums bccforums@samlmorse.com wrote:
We have a similar arrangemenrts to Itchen’s dropboard storage. I will take several photos tomorrow.
Rod
Ahh right! Teresa had made something like that for Daphne’s dropboards – exactly, a “dropboard cozy”. That might do the trick. I got stuck on the idea of a wood shelf system, but can’t find a good place to put one… was trying to come up with some way to attach them to backside of the ladder, but it was getting complicated.
I’m trying to be very conservative with space now that I’ve got 3.5 people and a bunch of camera equipment coming aboard! The garage will be used as a bunk, so I’ve lost a huge storage area ;-(
But on the bright side, I did remove a ton of stuff and gained an inch of freeboard at least!
We’ve got the Sailrite now, and I love using it – so I’m happy to have another sewing project to do. Great suggestion. Thanks all!
Ahh right! Teresa had made something like that for Daphne’s dropboards – exactly, a “dropboard cozy”. That might do the trick. I got stuck on the idea of a wood shelf system, but can’t find a good place to put one… was trying to come up with some way to attach them to backside of the ladder, but it was getting complicated.
I’m trying to be very conservative with space now that I’ve got 3.5 people and a bunch of camera equipment coming aboard! The garage will be used as a bunk, so I’ve lost a huge storage area ;-(
But on the bright side, I did remove a ton of stuff and gained an inch of freeboard at least!
We’ve got the Sailrite now, and I love using it – so I’m happy to have another sewing project to do. Great suggestion. Thanks all!
Hummmm, 3.5 people must include Dory. Once the filming is finished the camera person becomes an “idler.” I can think of one way to make more room on the return trip 
A remote storage area is the underside of the laserette hatch, but maybe not big enough for drop boards.
Doug Schmuck of BCC Puffin in NZ , attached his emergency bolt n wire cutters to the underside of his laserette hatch.
Now the question comes , just who out there can even open fully, their laserette hatch while underway ?
Only Roger could !
Here is a photo of a laserette hatch that opens fully while underway without hinging the tiller. Now the trick is to make it leak proof.
Here are two photos of a laserette hatch that opens fully while underway without hinging the tiller. Now the trick is to make it leak proof.
David:
Nice but how do you seal the center “seam” to make it water tight?
Rod
Rod,
There is a lip on the bottom of the stbd hatch that supports the port one evenly. The plan is to attach a 1 1/2 inch bronze strip with gasket material under to the top of the stbd hatch so it overlaps the port by 3/4 inch. I should be able to pull it down tight on the forward end with a hasp on the cockpit face but will have to devise a method to suck it down hard on the aft end. I hate to use a wing nut standing proud…maybe a small wedge that rotates into place. I have also changed out the hinges to ones a bit more freindly to the deriere. Once finished I will take a photo.
One drop board tucjed at the foot of the pilot berth and the other at the head of the quarter berth works for a daysail.
David:
Very, very nice. Could you use a car door gasket/weather strip to seal the center seam where the two hatches come together?
Rod
Rod, Excellent idea! Never would have thought of it but I think a car door gasket would compress nice and tight between the two hatches when closed together. Will give it a try and report back.
Thanks,
David
David:
It was just a thought. If a car door type gasket works, you may want to mount it with a little down angle to facilitate drainage. I would still install a cover plate over the seam, should a wave crash on the deck.
Silicone Rubber bulb gaskets:
Ahoy David, our friend has a Grand Banks motor yacht. His aft deck has similar split hatch covers with a joint in the middle.
Under this middle fore and aft joint there is a lift out bronze “U” channel, with out any gasket.
This “U” channel catches drips that come through and direct the water to the f/g water channel around the perimeter of the hatch. We shower on that back deck and use a garden hose for deck wash downs, and that water doesn’t drip below.
With out a gasket, this “U” channel could get overwhelmed during a pooping , but my BCC has not been pooped yet, not even close, Phew !!!
I think your idea of a split hatch is a good one, T Y for sharing it !
For Ben’s drop board storage question, on Calliste we store the drop boards behind the companion way ladder,on edge on the floor, infront of the engine room firewall , like L & L when the first reef goes in so does the first drop board, so they have to be acessable at sea, IMO .
Douglas,
I thought about a center divider that served as both a support for each hatch and a centerline water charnnel, but unwilling to halve the opening size I bailed on that design. But the “lift out” channel could well be the way to go.
thanks,
david