A gripe! (under bunk access)

[sailingdog]

Denise-

They have spring support struts that are far less expensive and do much the same thing as the gas struts, if not quite so elegantly.

[camaraderie]

$15 bucks for a gaslift strut at autozone type stores. How much cheaper can you get a large spring for??

[Sailormann]

You could check out these things too....

http://www.tempress.com/catalog/inde...19cf4b6c271c61

these go inside...
http://www.tempress.com/catalog/inde...19cf4b6c271c61

Allows you to put something in that looks clean and finished and still gain access to a lot of space. I'm a big proponent of making sure that any boat mods look good, 'cause it makes a big difference at resale time.

[paulk]

Drawers under bunks often have issues with depth. The back of the drawer hits the hull before it can go in much. Unless a drawer is deep enough, it tends to bind, too. Besides that, the drawer itself takes up space you could be using for storage. Putting doors in the vertical supports beneath the bunks can give access to the space without losing much to constructs. Bins can also be a nice way to hold stuff out where you can see it when you open them, and avoid you having to dig into large dark places with things that might move when you're under way and crunch fingers.

[Blue Eagle]

Originally Posted by Hartley18

Like SD, I too am not a fan of drawers in the sides of bunks (wow! something we agree on!! ). I can't think of anything much more unneccessary than getting your ankles broken by a loose drawer during a tack in nasty weather!

It's worth noting though, that properly constructed, drawers won't fall out - even in the roughest tacks (my boat heels to 40 degrees when I'm being brutal in a stiff breeze).

The way you effect this is to have drop fiddles of between 1/8 and 1/4 inch on the bottom of the drawer so as you slide it home, it closes and then drops into place.

Try it!

Blue Eagle

[Hartley18]

Originally Posted by paulk

Drawers under bunks often have issues with depth. The back of the drawer hits the hull before it can go in much. Unless a drawer is deep enough, it tends to bind, too. Besides that, the drawer itself takes up space you could be using for storage. Putting doors in the vertical supports beneath the bunks can give access to the space without losing much to constructs. Bins can also be a nice way to hold stuff out where you can see it when you open them, and avoid you having to dig into large dark places with things that might move when you're under way and crunch fingers.

FWIW, after much deliberation, I only recently converted an end of one of our bunks to a storage bin - it works a treat!

We started off with a lift-off top (aka "chart table")... but I made up a half-lid (half the distance from front to back), fitted a small plastic bucket for a sink, a pump piped up to a 2-litre plastic milk bottle sitting in the front corner of the bin and put fiddles all around it (aka "galley sink") and we mostly use that, leaving the "chart table" top under one of the berth cushions. When I need the chart table top, the entire "galley sink" lid fits down one side of the bin..

The missus loves it!

[sailingdog]

My main complaint with drawers on boats, especially those beneath the settees, is that they tend to waste a lot of otherwise usable space. Storage bins are far more efficient in terms of stowage space provided, and generally easier to make.