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Raising floorboards for sleeping
I'm building the Lake Union Swift. It's got 6 floorboards running the full length of the cockpit that are designed to be semi-permanently screwed into the frames. The run underneath the one thwart that's the rowing station and that stabilizes the top of the centerboard case.
I'd like to modify the design so I can raise the floorboards up to the height of the thwart and the side tanks in order to have a sleeping platform for overnighters. I'm thinking I will probably want to divide the floorboards in separate fore and aft sections, with some transverse connectors underneath tying the individual boards together. I can probably get by with just raising the aft section of the divided floor. If I (and sometimes my wife) sleep with my head at the stern, angled in amidships, I think my feet will be sufficiently supported by the side tanks.
Since the boards will no longer be screwed into the frames, I'll need a quick-release way to secure them in place at the bottom of the cockpit. There are lots of ways I can do this using cams or latches--plenty of ideas on that on this and other boat forums.
But what I'm struggling with is how to secure the floorboard sections up at the thwart level, bridging the gap between the two side tanks. I could install little ledges at the right height on the insides of the side tanks, but I'm not thrilled with how that would look, and whether they might sometimes be in the way when sailing. So I'm wondering about maybe some brackets that would go underneath the raised boards, perhaps notched to fit over the frames. Also wondering about fabric straps that might run under the boards and be secured, when in camping mode, at the outer edges of the tanks.
I'm sure I can work something out, but would love any ideas from someone who has gone down this road before me. Thanks!
3 replies:
RE: Raising floorboards for sleeping
Thanks Bubblehead! I always appreciate your insighful comments. Yeah, I was thinking I'd want to secure the floorboards with some sort of quick release in order to minimize chaos when I capsize. And it is probably a case of "when" not "if" in my case. Also, as you state, 'cause the bilge will need regular swabbing. The plans have you attaching the boards with, I believe, 68 screws, which is about 64 more than I'd want to deal with to retrieve whatever might fall through the cracks and to mop up spilled beer suds.
But I think I'll also want to somehow secure them in order for the board assembly to follow the fore-aft curve of the bilge, which more or less mirrors the sheer line and the curve of the side tanks. The boards are marine ply (12mm, I think) and it will take some force to get them to conform to the desired shape. Getting them to take the right curve in the raised position is also an issue, but at least there I can offer my 200lbs of assistance, stretched out on a mattress pad.
RE: Raising floorboards for sleeping
» Submitted by - Wed, 4/24/24 » 4:10 PM
I'll let you figure out what you want to do to support the floorboards in the raised position. Your "ledges" seem the obvious choice, but of course if you don't want those you'll have to figure out something else.
I did modify floorboards (not for sleeping) in my Rhode Runner, exactly as you said, by adding some transverse cross members underneath the boards forming them into a single unit. Strategic sizing and placement of the cross members prevents the floorboard assembly from moving side to side or fore and aft. I even put a nice "lifting hole" for a finger through one end of the center floorboard to allow for an easy way to pick up the floorboard assembly. This allows me rapid access to clean the bilge and retreive anything dropped through the floorboards.
I've never liked any boat that had a bunch of individually screwed-down floorboards, no matter the size or design. As we used to say in the Navy when trying to answer questions about some piece of equipment or system that we really didn't know how it worked but were asked about technical specifications during qualification check outs: "Well, I'm not sure, but I am sure that it works fine, lasts a long time, and drains to the bilge." It seems that everything winds up in the bilge. And of course our Sea Daddy would say, "Go look it up and get back to me!" (or something similar in cruder terms).
You probably don't need to anything at all, even if "quick-release," to secure the floorboard assembly to frames or whatever else is supporting them on the bottom of the boat. Gravity will do the job (and never breaks, rots or rusts)! It does fine in my Rhode Runner, even though I hope never to capsize that. And yes, if you capsize and go swimming the floorboards will probably become yet another piece of floating debris that makes getting everything about getting righted and bailed out difficult, but you can address that at the same time you're retrieving your hat and ditty bag and eveything else floating around. Or just don't capsize! ;-)