Another small but functional boat upgrade!

[McMXi]

If you've ever owned a small boat you'll know that storage can be a problem. I wanted to get a little more storage as well as gain better access to the inside of the hull for inspection purposes. I recently bought a Klein Tools camera that connects to my phone and wasn't able to snake it into some areas so figured this access door would help.

It's felt like spring here so I took the chance yesterday to stop by the boat storage facility and check another upgrade off the list, well almost. I'll need to use some 5200 to seal the door to the fiberglass and buy some stainless steel machine screws to finish the installation of the access door, but the hard work is done.

I learned recently that boats over 20 feet in length don't need flotation foam in the hull so it makes sense why this Robalo is 20 ft and 7 inches long!

Here's the before photo showing the location of the new access door. It's in the bow area and directly below the small square shaped seat cushion.

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

Sweet upgrade:

With as little of snow as we have gotten, I worry about the state of the lakes this coming season!

 

[chim]

Nice and clean installation, congrats!

 

[bird dogger]

And here I thought you were next going to show us your home made door & casing mold. Then laying up the new parts with fiberglass matting and gel coat!! Or maybe you just left those pics out???

 

[Hugo Habicht]

And here I thought you were next going to show us your home made door & casing mold. Then laying up the new parts with fiberglass matting and gel coat!! Or maybe you just left those pics out???

I was expecting the same. Was that not done with the instrument panel?

Doesn't matter, great result, well done !

 

[DONLI]

If you've ever owned a small boat you'll know that storage can be a problem. I wanted to get a little more storage as well as gain better access to the inside of the hull for inspection purposes. I recently bought a Klein Tools camera that connects to my phone and wasn't able to snake it into some areas so figured this access door would help.

It's felt like spring here so I took the chance yesterday to stop by the boat storage facility and check another upgrade off the list, well almost. I'll need to use some 5200 to seal the door to the fiberglass and buy some stainless steel machine screws to finish the installation of the access door, but the hard work is done.

I learned recently that boats over 20 feet in length don't need flotation foam in the hull so it makes sense why this Robalo is 20 ft and 7 inches long!

Here's the before photo showing the location of the new access door. It's in the bow area and directly below the small square shaped seat cushion.

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From one Boataholic to another Looks great, good work!
As owning many boats (lost count after about 6) there is never enough storage until you get to over 40ft, then it might be iffy.

Don

 

[McMXi]

I was expecting the same. Was that not done with the instrument panel?

Yep. I created a custom center console arrangement last year and it was a brutal and stressful job for a fiberglass novice. The problem was the lack of a large enough flat surface on which to mount the new electronics so I had to build up the center section with sheets of CSM and biaxial fiberglass. In hindsight it would have been easier to buy a large piece of acrylic, but what you find with mass produced boats is that a lot of corners are cut and the attention to detail isn't very good. I was able to address other issues that really annoyed me, for instance, the cut out for the binnacle was a disgrace, but I rebuilt the area and upgraded the binnacle and now it's how it should have been from the factory.

I have some other upgrades to complete, but I can take care of them incrementally, and not lose two months of boating time as I did last summer.

From this ....



... to this.

 

[McMXi]

Sweet upgrade:

With as little of snow as we have gotten, I worry about the state of the lakes this coming season!

Flathead Lake and the Flathead River are full right now due to so much rain this winter. It should be ok as long as the water isn't allowed to flow out through the dam.

 

[Splinters and Sparks]

Very nice work.

 

[Old Machinist]

Nice hatch install!

I bought one of those Klein Tools cameras that connects to a phone a few years back. At the time they didn't have the app for it on the play store and after downloading it from the Klein web site I couldn't get the camera to work on my phone so I returned it. I have tried a couple of the cheap ones that do work on my phone but they don't seem to have a usable image for what I tried them on.

 

[McMXi]

Nice hatch install!

I bought one of those Klein Tools cameras that connects to a phone a few years back. At the time they didn't have the app for it on the play store and after downloading it from the Klein web site I couldn't get the camera to work on my phone so I returned it. I have tried a couple of the cheap ones that do work on my phone but they don't seem to have a usable image for what I tried them on.

I'm still figuring out the Klein camera but it seems to work well with my phone. There's a knack to getting good images I'm sure, and you have to know what you're looking at or want to look at, but I managed to get this view of the inside of the hull. Hopefully I'll be able to get better images as I figure this camera out. I can take video too so that might be the better option.

 

[RCW]

My daughter and SIL are always working on their hobby fishing boat.

Storage is always a concern. Good job on your project.

Boats make a lot of folks happy.

Out on the Pacific.

 

[McMXi]

I don't love the Klein Tools camera yet but it has been useful, and the idea of one very functional upgrade led me to another upgrade.

So I got it in my head that I need/want a bow thruster. If you've ever operated a single engine boat you'll know that slow speed steering can be a challenge. I'm fairly adept at pivoting the boat, but add in current, wind, tight spaces etc., and it can be challenging for sure. So many boat owners look at the bow when maneuvering a boat as though it were a car, but outboards steer from the rear and that's where they should be looking, or at least checking.

After adding the access door that I showed above, I've gained a better understanding of how my boat is constructed. I used the Klein Tools camera to investigate the large cavity beneath the deck and discovered that it's finished (gelcoat) and has drainage to the bilge pump. Robalo might offer access to that area on some models but not on mine. It's a substantial volume and so I ordered a custom deck hatch that's 24" by 20". My thought is that at the very least I'll have more storage for life jackets, throw devices, etc., but at best this might allow me access to install a bow thruster tunnel in a decent location.

The hatch is 3/4" thick white Starboard with an anti-slip finish and has an aluminum powder-coated surround. I opted for two latches along the 24" side and a stiffner on the underside to limit deflection under load. There's a bulb seal to keep water out, but it's a very dry boat and I don't see any issues there. Any water that gets into the anchor locker or in through the new hatch would head to the bilge to be pumped out. It's a substantial unused volume under the deck, and the pass through is 20-1/4" by 16-1/4" which is plenty large enough for adequate access.


Under the fore deck looking towards the bow.



Under the fore deck looking towards the stern.



New hatch location but 24" x 19" cardboard template shown. Hatch ordered is 24" x 20".

 

[skeets]

A BOAT, a hole in the water into which one throws money,, yes I have had several.

But I didnt read the whole thing and went right to the pictures. And the fist thing that crossed my mine was, thats a hell of a place to put a head! Good job, and there is more than one day I wish I still had one, I keep thinking about that old 37 foot Carver,, Talk about a chick magnet , kinda like a van back inthe day !

 

[McMXi]

A BOAT, a hole in the water into which one throws money,, yes I have had several.

Pretty much everything in life is a hole into which money is thrown but somehow boats are singled out.

The head is a nice feature of this boat, along with the access door to get to the head.