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Lazzaret

scupper

Vern Gliot
Has any one out there replaced the hatch on the lazzaret to make it water tight? I'd really like to keep as much water out as possible.
 
I've installed a simple foam weather strip around the opening thet the wood hatch rests upon. Mostly to keep the locker a little cleaner inside. But it is a "wet locker" as built. I used a 1/2 x 1/2" adheasive backed foam from Lowes. Nothing fancy. It also gives a bit of cushion when the hatch is invariably dropped closed too.
Mitchell
 
It's on my list. I had to cut the existing lip to allow a propane tank to fit through the opening, so adhesive foam won't work. I also have to remove the hatch, (not just open it) for the tank to fit. The simple plan is just to make a larger hatch that fits on top, with adhesive strip. The more involved plan is to make a raise lip around the locker to better keep water out.

I already fabricated a baffle over the vent, so while water can enter there, it doesn't splash up and soak the tank and regulator/solenoid with salt water. But fresh water still drips on top of the regulator from above.

ABYC requires a propane locker lid be gasketed and water tight.
 
What is the sense of a watertight gasket when the locker is open at the bottom and fills with water when the boat squats? If the locker is not used to store propane, then it can be sealed both top and bottom.

Jim
 
What is the sense of a watertight gasket when the locker is open at the bottom and fills with water when the boat squats? If the locker is not used to store propane, then it can be sealed both top and bottom.

Jim
I've done what I can to mitigate water coming in the bottom also. It comes in, but is baffled so it stays in the bottom and doesn't splash up unto the propane regulator. Short of adding a floor and making the locker smaller with a vent further up the transom, I don't think there is a way to fix that and still have a functioning vent. The point of it is that I was replacing solenoid valves and the regulator every 6 months of ocean sailing. Once I had to pay $600 to get me one in Indonesia. Another time I wasted nearly a full tank of propane due to a leaking regulator. I now keep multiple spares, but changing them so often is not a solution. A propane locker really needs to be kept dry, and for that reason that locker isn't a very good propane locker. ABYC requires the locker stay dry, and if a surveyor were paying attention would flag a propane tank there as being non-compliant. That said, a surveyor probably wouldn't know that water comes in the bottom, but certainly should check for a gasket on the lid.
 
Warren, I finally bit the bullet with regard to the lid on the stern lazzarette. I made a lip made of 3/8" aluminum angle welded on the corners which was bolted on, in sealant, around the opening, with tiny bolts. I made a mold and fabricated a new fiberglass lid which fit over and to the outside of the angle lip. I Kiwi gripped the surface and it looks terrific. I have not gasketed the lid yet but that will be simple procedure. The tolerances for the angle lip and the glass lid are fairly tight so if you are doing something similar measure closely. Also when applying the gelcoat to the mold I added 2 extra coats to all corners and vertical/horizontal interfaces - wish I had done a couple more as this is were the lid will get banged and abraded. I didnt record the layup schedule but I recall I incorporated an initial layer of mat being very careful to get into all corners and vertical/horizontal interfaces. I think I then applied a layer of 12 oz. biaxial cloth, a layer of mat and a final layer 12 oz. biaxial. On 1 layer of the biaxial I cut the corners so that I could overlap the 2 pieces for greater strength in that area. I also reinforced the top which will be stepped on with a piece of high quality 3/16" plywood - the type Home Depot sells for flooring underlay. This piece was generously feathered/tapered to eliminate stress and was sized so it sat approx, 1 1/2" away for all edges and covered with 1 layer of biaxial. As I recall the finished sides of the lid are about 1/8" thick and the corners about 3/16". The lid sits about
1 1/4" high is very strong with virtually no deflection when my 165 lbs. are on it. Some years prior I raised the floor of the locker by about 4 inches, which was about max I could go given the height of the propane bottles and the box that holds them. I did this project on the hard. First checking that the boat was level ( as level as a boat can ever be). I removed the box that holds the propane bottles. Then I filled plugged the drain hole and filled the locker with water up to about 1" away from where the bottom of the propane bottle box sits. I carefully marked this waterline with a sharpie then drained the water. Next I measured and made a cardboard template of the new floor. Once the template was a good snug fit I made a flat piece of fiberglass sheet and then cut it to match the template and thoroughly tabbed it in place such that there would be no leakage into the void below. I then drilled a new drain hole. The end result, with the drain hole raised approx. 4" vertically, was that the drain hole still goes underwater somewhat when motoring/motorsailing but not nearly as bad (I was somewhat pissed off it wasn't dry !). No pictures available as I'm up home in Canada still wrestling with the Covid mess while my boat rests in Florida. BTW I still have the mold I made for the lid.
Cheers Bob McDonald
 
Bob MacDonald's idea is great. Why didn't I think of that? This year I started trying to build a wood frame to fit on the lazarette lip to hold the lid. I intended to make the lid fit like a shoe box. But I gave up trying to shape the 1x2 to fit all the compound curves of the opening. My lid leaks around the edges. (Like Warren I have a 5 or 6 inch cutout of the lip to allow propane bottles to fit in.) But Warren, my regulators are hidden under the aft deck (hung from the inside of the transom) so all that gets wet is some hose and a bit of two of the tanks. One tank is way to port under the deck, one tank is next to it, only slightly under the hatch, and one tank is tucked under the aft deck, just slightly off centerline, again only partially under the hatch. I just replaced my regulators after 20 years and they were dry and still worked. But I was advised not to keep using regulators more than 5 or 6 years. I will try to remember to take some photos.
 
My plan was to create a "bead" around the opening of the locker. I was going to use 1/4 fiberglass rod, glue it down, then use thickened epoxy to fillet the seams. Then route the bottom of a wood cover to fit on top and create a water tight fit.

Bob's solution sounds a lot better. I'm not up for making a fiberglass lid, but if I still lived in my house and not on the boat I might have considered it.

Moving the regulators to the back seems the obvious position, not sure why I put them where they are. I might move them. Can you see the pressure gauge? If not that is probably easy to fix with a brass elbow. Last year I build a watertight box from starboard that the regulator/solenoid assembly fit in. That should resolve the issue.
 
My gauges do not fit on the tanks, as is common now. They are inline gauges on the hoses that run from the tanks to the solenoids and regulators.
 
Thank you all for your responses. This forum is great. Bob, would you be willing to loan out your mold? Thanks, Vern
 
Yes the fiberglass lid is hinged on the starboard side end, lid now opens sideways, not aft like the original lid. I had some years back made new tops for the dorade boxes that do not open. I used on of the piano hinges from the old dorade tops. The lid opens past vertical so lots of room to root around in the lazarette. The reason I mentioned I still had the mold for the lid was in case anyone else wants to give it a try - no problem - the only issue is getting it down to somewhere in, I assume, USA. Not really sure the shipping costs and cross border issues, would warrant it. I hope, assuming we no longer have or require a closed Canada/USA border, to be at my boat in Florida around Nov. 1. I will take the mold with me, as I drive down, and will post this site that it's available for shipping to whomever so desires. Cheers Bob
 
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