I’m planning on doing a remodel of the forepeak of my BCC (hull #3) and wonder what suggestions anyone might have for making this space actually liveable. Currently the berth is a bit claustrophobic, not to mention sometimes aromatic. I’m toying with the idea of removing a bulkhead and lockers to make room for a hammock. I have 88" from chain locker to mast and could probably sling a hammock there. A bit inconvenient to get to the head, but oh well.
Ahoy Gene , not knowing the early Morse forepeak arrangements, to comment on what you have , a photo might help to visualize the area .
Removing a bulkhead needs some serious structural thought, but it can be accomplished .
My BCC has a bulkhead just forward of the head , then starts the forepeak area to the stem . I too needed more space in the forepeak and copied an idea from S/V Tansey Lee (sp-?) . She had bronze Sampson posts bolted on her foredeck , so there were no thru deck oak wood posts bolted to the chainlocker , below .
I had P T Foundry cast a set of deck mounted brnz Sampson posts , made a under deck thwart ship maple beam to bolt them onto , thus getting the space I needed for large light weight things like the spin-drifter , fenders and other things .
Thanks for the reply. I’ll have to take some pictures to give you an idea of what I have. My forpeak has a bulkhead right at the samson posts with a rod through the posts and the bitter end of the rode tied off. Then a bunk to starboard and the head to port with the holding tank forward. Two bulkheads with horizontal dividers making shelves with the after bulkhead even with the mast. I’m not sure if those bulkeads are structural or not. I suppose I should get someone more knowledgeable to look them over before I get out the sabre saw. The bunk is really unuseable as it is so truncating it and just making a shelf won’t hurt.
I’ll be back over to the boat next week so I’ll take some pictures then.
I’m not sure if those bulkeads are
structural or not. I suppose I should get someone
more knowledgeable to look them over before I get
out the sabre saw.
Do yourself a favour, Gene.
Buy a copy of the book Plot your course to adventure written by Roger Olson, ex-president of Sam L. Morse Co., ex-master of Hess 24 Seraffyn, ex-master of BCC Xiphias, and ex-master of BCC Nereus.
Let me give you two quotes to save you time and anguish with your sabre saw:
?The fiberglass hull works or flexes with the seas. There may be severe yawing or twisting of the hull, placing tremendous sheer forces on [the hull-deck] join. The only way to properly prevent this action is with the installation of bulkheads bonded to the hull and the underside of the deck. The more bulkheads there are, the less the twisting effect and the stronger the boat?. [1]
‘The more bulkheads, the stronger the boat’ [2]
Roger Olson, Plot your course to adventure: How to be a successful cruiser. Bloomington: Authorhouse, 2004. p. 115.
Well, I took 3 pictures of the forepeak, not realizing I had the camera in panoramic mode so the single picture is too big to upload to this site (2.3). If I can figure out how to shrink the picture I’ll send it.
Ahoy Gary , gee I don’t remember where I purchased that bronze chain stopper, it was some 17 years ago when it was installed .
If I remember I will let you know . It may have come , chromed .
BTW , I don’t use that stopper paul as intended . I use a chain snubber line, thru a snatch block to the cranze iron.
What the paul and axel does is keep the chain captured inside the stopper cheeks during rapid chain deployment .
Maybe you noticed in the photo, a leash line attached to the paul , because sometimes I remove the paul , then just replace the axel to keep the chain captured .
I checked out their website. If you check the price list, you will see that the chain stopper can be ordered in cast bronze, polished bronze or chrome plated.
