Below deck storage box - any suggestions?

[PiratePast40]

I'm finishing up glassing in the stringers and ready to continue with the deck. I'm planning on building a box for storage under the deck and have a pretty good idea of what I want but throwing it out there for comment and any other ideas.

The stringers are 22" apart and I plan on bringing the sides in with a 2 x 2 to provide extra support. The planned box will be bulkheads with a flat bottom. I'll build the box with 1/2" ply and then glass it on both sides. Planning on keeping the length 24 to 30". The hatch is a temptress, roughly 17" x 13". The literature says's it's strong enough to stand and walk on.

I'll be placing it just foreward of the doghouse. Wanted it between the seats but I've only got about 14" between the seats there.

Any comments, ideas, or recommendations?

 

[catfighter]

Re: Below deck storage box - any suggestions?

I'm thinking of doing the same thing, and I think the easiest, most waterproof way is to just put a watertight plastic box inside the compartment!

If you have a 2'x2'x2' compartment, get a box with a lid that fits the best there. that way you could even take it out if you had to.

It wouldn't look pretty, but it's an easy, waterproofesque solution.

 

[thrillhouse700]

Re: Below deck storage box - any suggestions?

We are going to be doing the same thing, we have a single stringer tri-hull and need extra storage so on both sides of the stringer we are building a box just like you described under the deck. We won't need to waterproof it because just ropes and bouys and possibly a small cooler will be down there.