[arisatx]

As fellow PSC37 owners know, the area under the forward berth is shared by a fresh water tank, black water holding tank and a fairly voluminous storage are. I've never reall found a good usage for this area, probably because in our case, access to it is thru a 12"x14" opening (depicted by yellow rectangle below).

How have others used this space? I'm thinking of enlargening the opening for better access. I'd like throw my Asail in the bag down there, among other things. TIA for your ideas.

 

[billbalme]

Ted,

Big and ugly is that locker. This winter I added a manual overboard pump for the holding tank - it sits on one side of this locker, the Y valve sits on the other - so I have no hope of making the locker bigger. Plan to use it to store an awning we have (but never used). It's too small for the A-Sail as is.

Good luck with modifying the opening. I hate to cut into fibreglass - and imagine it's pretty structural up there...


Bill

 

[arisatx]

Thanks Bill. I'm not too keen cutting into glass that's structural - but we'll see. Any other ideas out there?

We did a bareboat charter in Feb on a Hunter 36. It was like a ballroom down below - but amazingly little stowage space. I guess it's a different boat for a different purpose.

 

[discoverer37]

Ted,
I agree this is an awkward shaped locker as it's deep and has the sloped hull shape at the bottom. Also, to get at the hatch you have to lift the cushion which is always covered in "stuff". It would be nice if the cushion was in sections connected by cloth "hinges".
The plumbing is a nuisance too. If I ever need to mess with that plumbing (perish the thought!), I think I will remove the Y valve so everything goes to the tank. Then all that "direct to the seacock" plumbing can go, which would pretty much empty that locker. This would make over the side discharge (like on open water trips) a two stage process: From head to tank, from tank to ocean. I don't think having to pump the tank over the side manually every couple of days would be too bad a trade off for the simplification in the plumbing.
Bill,
My manual pump is mounted in the back of the seat. This is a great place for it. It's hidden but every easy to get to, and it doesn't use up any otherwise useful space.
I currently use this locker to store plastic tool boxes containing engine parts and filters, but it would also be good for extra ground tackle (a collapsed Fortress maybe), anchor line or sail, as it drains into the bilge and has easy access to the foredeck.
Let us know what you end up with in there, it's always good to get other ideas.

Paul

 

[billbalme]

Paul,

I was hoping to get the pump in that locker but it didn't fit - I guess I got a big pump!

B

 

[arisatx]

Paul, Bill:

Thanks for your ideas. Will keep pondering this. But re: the pump and y valve, on our boat, the pump is on the side of the sink base (next to the throne) and the y valve is inside the sink base. I guess there have been variations in plumbing these boats during their long production run.

Speaking of Y valves, seacocks and pumps, when we first got our PSC and I was reading thru the manual re: the marine sanitation system , I decided to make up the following table as a quick reference on what valves to set where for the varying operations.

 

[Sapperwhite]

.........
The plumbing is a nuisance too. If I ever need to mess with that plumbing (perish the thought!), I think I will remove the Y valve so everything goes to the tank. Then all that "direct to the seacock" plumbing can go, which would pretty much empty that locker. This would make over the side discharge (like on open water trips) a two stage process: From head to tank, from tank to ocean. I don't think having to pump the tank over the side manually every couple of days would be too bad a trade off for the simplification in the plumbing.....
Paul

holy hell Paul, I can't believe i didn't think of that! I have the same type of system on my Orion. Y valve, but also a manual pump from the tank overboard. Imagine all that plumbing, but in a much smaller space. This is an excellent idea, and one I think I can tackle without too much hassle (aside from dealing with stinky hoses that is). Thanks

as far as the stowage space goes, i've seen something that may help. to defeat the depth and angle of the space you can make another hatch inside the space. at a certain distance down into the locker, run wide enough support rails around all the bulk heads inside the space to support a new "inner" lid (or split two inner lids so you can get them through the existing hatch). now you can store things that get very rare use, spares (like a spare length of chain, etc), or messy things in the deepest unlevel bottom section. The new, level, not too deep top section could be used for stowage of more needed or more frequently used stuff.

I've seen this on non PSC boats and thought it was a good idea for steeply slooped or very deep stowage areas.

 

[sachemgfp]

Hello Ted,

The Table that you presented is very nice. Could you please send me a copy of line ?

Thanks
George PSC 37 # 335

 

[arisatx]

Thanks for your idea SapperWhite. I'm still wrestling with the fact that the opening is so small. But that is a good solution to items getting lost in the depths of that storage area.

George - I'll email it to you or post it here in a few days, as I'm away from home right now.

 

[Sapperwhite]

Thanks for your idea SapperWhite. I'm still wrestling with the fact that the opening is so small. But that is a good solution to items getting lost in the depths of that storage area.

George - I'll email it to you or post it here in a few days, as I'm away from home right now.

that small hatch that is currently in place may be overcome if you make two or three smaller "inner" hatches to cover the deep bottom section of the stowage. They could be small enough to slip right through the existing opening. They would rest side by side along the support rails.

these inner hatches won't be meant to come all the way out every time you go in the lower section. you can just stack one atop the other or sit it against the wall while accessing the lower stowage section.

 

[arisatx]

PSC37 Head Operation Table

George:

Here's a JPG of that table - I had to compress it to meet this board's file size limitations. Right click on the image and do a "save as". If you PM me your email address I can email you the original.

Sapperwhite:

re: hatch size, what I meant to say is that it will still limit the size of item I stow down there. For example, my A Sail bag is probably 30" in diameter. I'll keep thinkin on this - thanks for your ideas.