Bow Deck

One of the many features that drew me to Pocketship was this awesome, large self draining “chuck it” area. Call it a large anchor well, call it a fender storage area, call it a great place to stow dock lines or chuck your soggy wet suit, call it whatever you want, it’s absolutely awesome. How many small boats think of such things? Not many. I had no such area on my Scamp and I always wished I did. Try deploying and retrieving an anchor from the cockpit. Yes, you can do it, and I did, but a bow storage area makes much more sense to me.

So, let’s deck it!

I realized I failed to photograph the breastplate and inside cleating to which the bow deck attaches. So, please realize it’s there. The cleating is 3/8″ x 1″ strips glued to the inside of the hull picking up the bow deck. The breastplate strengthens the entire bow area and is secured prior to installing the bow deck.

Bulkhead #1

But first, let’s install the hatch in bulkhead #1. Yes, you can do it later, but it’s easier now.

I always bed my hatches in 100% silicone. It doesn’t stop water entirely but definitely slows it down.

I ordered this stuff sack from Duckworks. And, it’s a magic stuff sack…Look closely and notice the ring sewn into it’s circumference.

This ring fits securely into the hatch, preventing it from falling into the bow storage area. But wait, where’s the foam blocking? I’ve decided against any and all foam in my bow. But wait, don’t the plans call for foam? Yes, but boat kits have to satisfy the Coast Guard. Here’s the deal folks, if I put foam in my bow, I can never dry it out if I get a leak or punch a hole in it. I can’t work on it or fix it without ripping the whole thing apart. I’m not especially worried about my boat sinking. I don’t think it would sink even with a hole in the bow. But, I am concerned about building something I can’t service. So, after a long pondering session and a call to Tom Graham, I’ve decided to keep my bow clean and open. That’s just my decision. After all, it’s my boat. And, that’s what I love about building your own boat. I get to do it “My Way”. I love Frank…but I digress…

Back to the hatch.

In this way, I can create a small storage area reachable from the front of the cabin. This will be handy for gear I rarely access but must have on hand, like a flare gun.

Now for the bow deck…

I applied two coats of epoxy to the underside of the bow deck. The deck went on immediately after I applied the second coat to achieve a hot bond. But, first I had to fit it and pre-drill all the screw holes.

Trimming the deck to fit the bow section.

The goal here is to keep the deck back the width of the hull to maintain room for the next hull panel to rest on the previous hull panel. I beveled this edge to better accept the top hull panel (it’s sloped inward a bit).

I then predrilled the deck to accept grabber screws. I angled the screws to hit the 3/8″ cleating on the inside of the hull panels.

Then I rolled all mating surfaces and applied a bead of thickened epoxy to all the cleating and bow breast. It sucked down like a glove.

Summary: It feels so different all closed in and covered.