dangerous with a jigsaw

[QuickMick]

my boat is on the older side.... 1972. under the cushions in the vee/quarter berth and the setee are wooden hatches for accessing storage. The problem is the access panels are dinky and I would like to make them bigger. Before I do anything radical with said jigsaw I started to wonder if (partly due to the age of the boat), of any of the existing structures could be load bearing and have setteled in after all these years making it unwise to start sawing away like a madman if it might affect structural integrity in any way.

any thoughts?

thanks
Quinn

[Faster]

On a '72 Grampian I'd be surprised if the V berth platform itself is in any way structural. Any stringers or bulkheads underneath should be left as is, though.

[merc2dogs]

Only issue with enlarging them is that the new larger cover is often more flexible in comparison, and may create a 'soft' spot.

Putting another layer of ply on the bottom (maybe an inch smaller all around) of it should help in most cases.

Ken.

[MARC2012]

I would use a circular saw difficult to cut straight with jig saw.marc