Adding a cockpit hatch
The Nordica 16 design provides a fair amount of storage space in the area beneath the cockpit seats. However the space is almost impossible to access, especially while underway. Moreover it seemed to me that whatever I was seeking was just beyond my fingertips when I tried the double-jointed manouevers necessary to get in through either the cockpit stern hatch or aft from the cabin. As I accumulated an increasing amount of boat stuff (anchors, fenders, lines, paddles, boat hook) I wanted to be able to keep most of it out of the cabin and the seat area was the best place.
The answer seemed to be some sort of hatch to access the area. It had to be watertight to keep as much water as possible out of the hull and as flush as possible because most of the time I would be sitting on it. After searching through several catalogues I settled on a watertight door with an opening measuring about 7 inches by 11 inches. Big enough to get fenders and other stuff through but small enough so that it would fit into the seat area. A larger hatch won't fit in the width of the seat. The hatch is almost flush to the seat and has a nicely tapered edge so that it is easy to sit on. The current West Marine catalogue has a similar hatch but the price at my local supplier was about 50% less than the advertised West price. It would pay to shop around. Another option would be to use one of the large circular inspection ports but that would make it awkward for larger objects and with the separate top you runthe risk of it going overboard at the most inappropriate time.
To install the hatch I traced the outline of the hatch onto the seat and with some trepidation cut out the area with a sabre saw. Not too hard to cut, but the fibreglass can make short work of a jigsaw blade. It took a little trial and error to get the cut just the right sixe and I found it is better to cut short and gradually trim back to get a good close fit than to get it exactly right on the first cut. I discovered that the N-16 seats have a balsa core, unlike other parts of the deck which seem to have used plywood. In order to get a good seal on the edge of the cut it is important to cut back on the core about 1/4 inch and fill the edge with a epoxy paste. The photo shows the seat following the cut with the notches to accommodate the hinge area of the hatch.
Once I was sure it fitted snugly I simply drilled holes and screwed the fitting down with generous quantities caulking to seal the edges. A better solution would be to bolt it down with washers backing the nuts. Because of the low freeboard on Strait Rhumb one steps down into the boat from my finger dock and so there can be a fair amount of weight on the seat. I noticed a crack developing on the underside of the seat starting at the cut edge and reinforced the edge of the cut with a small piece of marine plywood attached with epoxy and clamped in place until it was dry. I then re-drilled the holes and screwed the fitting back down.
With the hatch installed I took the opportunity to clean and paint the inside of the hull. An unanticipated bonus was that it was now much easier to reach the bolts for the fairleads, snubbing winches and the clam cleats. I placed some high density foam at the bottom of the compartment to protect the hull from bouncing anchors and other heavy objects. With weight low down in the hull it helps with the stability.
I was so pleased with the experiment that I have added a hatch into the other side of the cockpit as well. Now I can grab fenders as I approach the dock, can retrieve my anchor and rode, fish out my boat hook, even grab a cool beverage, all without having the leave the cockpit.
Total cost - About $50.00
Time required - 1/2 hour (other than waiting for epoxy to set)
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