A false floor in a dinghy...best in ply or something else?

[Greenheart]

I'm resigned to sailing my boat alone...SWMBO came along a few weeks ago and despite very pleasant, undaunting conditions, she couldn't wait to return ashore.

That's fine with me; but if she detested sitting on the fairly steep, wet floor at the front of the cockpit, I can't blame her, and I don't enjoy seeing any dry items which I've placed in the hanging halyard-bags, getting soaked. Even if there's only a couple of pints of water in the cockpit, it ends up sloshing about everywhere, and on calm days when the side-decks aren't a practical place to park oneself, the damp floor is the only seat available.

I've got a couple of nice boards, 12mm ply, carefully epoxied for a different job but hopefully big enough to make flat floor sections in the front of the cockpit.

Are there any things to remember, in respect of fitting and securing floorboards in a dinghy? My plan is to make them removable without much bother, for cleaning.

 

[TSB240]

It seems to me to add more weight to an all ready bloated Osprey is a just Criminal.... You might as well be in a Wafarer

Surely the question to ask yourself is why there is water inside.......

Sort out your leaking balers........... N0 1 on your to do list Dan

 

[Searush]

Don't you have any side benches? My GP 14 has a lovely pair of side benches for the ladies, children & wimps, or for windless days. 12mm is far too heavy for floor boards, mine are about 5mm, but then I have ribs to support them at regular intervals, but much thinner ply with battens across would make a light strong set of floor boards. I still reckon you have bought the wrong boat.

 

[Greenheart]

Don't you have any side benches? I still reckon you have bought the wrong boat.

Much mirth inferred. (Maybe MMI could replace "LOL"?)

The longer I have the Osprey and the more I modify her for my use, the more right she feels to me. I believe the point is that there is NO 'right boat' for some people's particular needs - so most tend to accept the compromises present in the closest thing they could find - but anyone who substantially changes an established design is regarded as having missed its point, largely because its intended use isn't identical to their requirements. But I'd much rather change the boat I own and love, than change my style of sailing.

I do like Wayfarers, but when singlehanding the Osprey in light winds, I'm intensely glad she isn't a modestly-canvassed six-person sailing school favourite. Anyone who thinks I'm overloading my boat with unnecessary bits which detract from her pure design should remember that while I'm alone, she's much lighter than a top-spec boat with a crew of two.

I greatly admire dinghies with internal side benches. They add versatility, which most racing designs don't attempt to include. I've got dry lockers on board so my leaky bailers are no big issue, but in calm conditions my passengers won't want to endure the crouching posture of racing crews, nor the floor being persistently awash...so I reckon it's not too much to install a level floor over the steep wet sole at the front end of the Osprey's cockpit. There's room to sit with your back to the thwart, facing ahead...but it's not flat. Or dry.

 

[prv]

A set of slatted bottom-boards might be lighter, would let water drain through, and perhaps offer better grip. They're probably what Swallow would have had, if that appeals to your romantic side?

Pete

 

[Greenheart]

That's a smart suggestion, thanks Pete...especially since I've a feeling my ply boards aren't quite broad enough...but if I saw them into slats, the gaps will increase coverage. :encouragement:

 

[prv]

Hmm, I was thinking of battens of some nice timber, rather than chopped-up ply

Pete

 

[Greenheart]

Okay, that would be nicer...but my ply is of a good grade, and has been carefully epoxied...is there a good non-aesthetic reason to use battens rather than what I already have?

 

[Kelpie]

If you saw the ply up into battens, you'll have to epoxy the edges again. I would have assumed that timber slats would be a bit stronger, but use whatever you have to hand.

 

[Greenheart]

Thank you, it'll be sawn, corners sanded, new edges re-epoxied, and I was going to say, wholly white-painted. But against a white floor, I daresay epoxied ply will look pretty good.

It's tempting to make the same raised flooring for the rear of the cockpit too. On Saturday I found myself uncomfortably straddling the rear of the centreboard case as a seat, because dead downwind, there was nowhere to sit except the damp, curving ribbed floor. Sitting on either side-deck set the boat heeling badly.

I suppose two-up, one person sits on the opposing side-deck for balance, but in really calm conditions, the temptation to sit on the floor and smoke a cigar is very powerful.

 

[prv]

is there a good non-aesthetic reason to use battens rather than what I already have?

Not really, I just have an image of nicely-varnished hardwood slats in the bottom of a classic dinghy

Pete

 

[Iain C]

Dan for goodness sake buy a service kit for the bailers and sort out the transom drains rather than fannying around with floorboards because the boat leaks! And buy a sponge!

 

[Greenheart]

I don't believe a service kit will fix the leak because at some time the central moving parts of the bailers were whacked out of position, and can't be re-aligned. Hence the duct-tape.

I'd just as soon pay for two new bailers - £150, so not this season - but my best witness in favour of floor gratings is SWMBO, who enthused about the idea of not having to park herself on a steep sideways slope. Regardless of dampness, if she didn't like sitting at an angle, nor will my other mates.

I'll take a look at it today. Long time till high tide.

 

[Searush]

take a deck chair for her . . .

she'll need a glass of Pimm's too & some ice & fruit. Sailing needs to be an enjoyable experience & squatting on the floor of a dinghy is not likely to help.

 

[neilf39]

Why not get a couple of square cockpit cushions made from waterproof fabric outer and non-absorbent dense foam about 40mm or so thick. Tie them on with a piece of rope so they don't go overboard and you can sit on them where ever you like, even on the coaming. A lot more comfy than a wooden board.

 

[Greenheart]

Interesting ideas, thanks. I once persuaded SWMBO to sit on a part-deflated fender, which moulds itself agreeably to the sitter's fundament, and keeps him or her out of the wet.

I invariably keep a small flask of rum aboard, for reviving anybody who may feel cold or alarmed. Or bored. Lockers are another benefit of not choosing a stripped-out race boat.

Today was a terrific day for sailing. It wasn't windy but I put the reef in so I wouldn't need to go swimming, and so I wouldn't need to spend 20 minutes squeezing into my wetsuit.

Being able to unroll (or get rid of) the 45sq ft genoa in a few seconds for extra thrust, while basically only needing to control about 55 sq ft of mainsail, is a real versatile pleasure.

Pity the season's nearly over, but this is definitely the boat I wanted.

 

[Lakesailor]

On Saturday I found myself uncomfortably straddling the rear of the centreboard case as a seat, because dead downwind, there was nowhere to sit except the damp, curving ribbed floor. Sitting on either side-deck set the boat heeling badly.

this is definitely the boat I wanted.

I think you need to wake up and smell the coffee. We have, in the main, suggested it is the wrong boat for your purposes. Your wife seems to have a similar opinion.

You need a stable day-boat.

 

[Greenheart]

That looks like a lovely boat, Lakey. And the vid's a nice advertisement for traditional low-stress sailing.

But...isn't my evolution of an old race-boat into something easier to manage, a successful alternative to just buying a completely different, smaller, slower, heavier, costlier dinghy?

Answer this honestly if you can...would you rather sail a humbly-canvassed, conveniently stable, unspectacular boat whose physics eliminate risk, but don't permit much excitement...

...or would you prefer a proven, well-bred racer with a willing hull and big rig, subtly but effectively modified so that one mid-sized bloke can sail her alone without sweating?

Does the best wisdom really say that if you don't relish potential upsets in a flighty racer, the only answer is to acquire a slug instead? Aren't we more imaginative than that?

My SWMBO simply doesn't like boats. I'm resigned to that, so her opinion is immaterial. What disappoints me far more, is that my careful (and largely successful) work to tame the Osprey for singlehanded cruising (without preventing her from showing class as a performance boat when circumstances allow) is often snubbed here as evidence of a bad choice.

Looks pretty fine to me. She is definitely the boat I wanted - but that doesn't mean I only bought her for the uses Ian Proctor envisaged. So I'm content to continue adding items that'll benefit my use. She gets lots of compliments already - I doubt that will cease if I create a couple of practical wood floor gratings to keep hampers and guests' bottoms dry!

 

[prv]

Looks a hell of a lot nicer than it did last year :encouragement:

But what happens to those oars when you heel over?

Pete

 

[Iain C]

Agreed...that is a massive improvement. Nice colour choice too.

But Dan...have you done a capsize drill yet?