water resistant pocket door

[DaveC426913]

I am thinking about replacing the smoked plexi helm side panels with wood, and cutting out little drawers to hold doodads like a pencil and windmeter etc.

I want to figure out how to protect it from spray dribbling down the panel and into the top edge of the pocket.

Surely this has been solved before on a boat. Anybody got any ideas about how?

[RobertB]

Have you looked inside the pedestal to see if you have room? Mine is pretty crowded. Also, on the , the Plexiglas is over plywood except where the plywood is cut away. I have added storage on the outside. If you make compartments as drawn, suggest drainage holes and not putting in anything that cannot get wet. Otherwise you will likely need a positive engagement latch and a compression gasket.

[Ixneigh]

Put a batten above the hatch. 1/4 round teak or something. Have the the thickness be a bit more the the edge of the hatch. That will keep most of the water out and act as a drip edge. Good luck finding room in the pedestal. I could barely add an aux. 12v outlet in mine.
That concept might work in the cockpit combings though. I was thinking about open pockets but I like this idea better.
Those "would" need a gasket of course.
Ix

[K9Kampers]

Catigale did a project report on putting cubby holes in the cockpit combings.

[Russ]

Yea, mine doesn't have unobstructed space in there. Combing would make more sense.

I like your idea with the pocket, however keeping it dry is going to be a challenge. Love to see what you come up with.

--Russ

[DaveC426913]

Have you looked inside the pedestal to see if you have room?

Yes, there's a few inches.

suggest drainage holes and not putting in anything that cannot get wet. Otherwise you will likely need a positive engagement latch and a compression gasket.

Yeah. I'm wondering if I'm just inviting trouble by providing a place where stuff will get wet. Or stolen.

Put a batten above the hatch. 1/4 round teak or something. Have the the thickness be a bit more the the vedge of the hatch.

Yeah. This is the best idea I've come up with yet.

That concept might work in the cockpit combings though. I was thinking about open pockets but I like this idea better.

I suppose I could use the existing holes in my combing... the ones the PO had cut so that they could install the party seats on the transom.

[extreem]

You could always put a small spacer between the door and the pocket. That way if water gets around the door, it would not get into the pocket.