Aft deck lockers......Finish (almost).....

I have been faffing about with the aft deck lockers for some time.

The original lid was molded into the deck and as there was no means of fully compressing the gasket it was prone to leaking.

The largest items that I would wish to stow in these lockers were Fiberglass LPG tanks and a Honda 2000 generator.  This meant that I could not restrict the original opening in any way.

Unfortunately, the only production hatch that I could locate, that fitted the opening, would not accommodate these two items;

Innovative Product Solutions M-1330-AW / 520-503 13 x 30 Arctic White Boat Deck Hatch
 
(Side Note:  The TRIDENT MARINE LPG Tank-Fiberglass, 11lb.  Model # 9977026 has a diameter of 12.1ins (+/-) not 12.5ins as stated on the WM web site.  It WILL fit in the original opening.  According to another Whitby owner (GC) the 17lb tank will fit in the locker is the handles are trimmed a little).

My solution which has now been fitted and bolted in temporarily, pending deck painting, is as follows;

1.  A 3/4in Non Skid starboard panel held down by PYI Floor anchors.  This has a compresses gasket between it and the deck. This can be quickly removed to install/remove the tanks or Honda generator.

2.  The deck hatches for normal access.

 The final deck paint color will be a closer match to the deck panels and hatches.  

Aft deck lockers.......

Ever boat has those little items that are not "good" but are not bad enough to warrant the time and effort to overhaul them.  The aft deck lockers on the Whitby 42 fall into this category, IMHO.   They are excellent storage lockers but the lid is a simple fiberglass molding that fits into groves on the deck.  A gasket is inserted here to keep the water out.  As everything is flush with the deck this seldom works.  The lockers have drain holes on the transom to let water out but the lockers tend to get wet and grubby.

Some time go I bought two;

Innovative Product Solutions M-1330-AW / 520-503 13 x 30 Arctic White Boat Deck Hatch


These were the closest fit that I could find.  They are big enough for the fiberglass LPG bottles that I plan to use.

They will be mounted on 1/2" starboard to get them above deck level, but have their own seals and locking mechanism.  This is what the dry fit looks like;