Building the Landing Platform / Battery Box

August 18, 2019

Making further headway toward completion of the interior, I moved today to begin and hopefully complete the fabrication of the battery box, or landing platform as the owner would step into the boat from the companionway.  I began by taking the battery from its packaging, and then taking several measurements from it.  I then made my way back over to boat and mentally worked through iterations of how the battery could be both secured and stowed safely away while at the same time creating a step for entry into the cabin.  Satisfied with a plan, I moved back into the shop to execute on it.

My first order of business was to create the side supports for the landing platform.  The side supports would be two 5" X 23" meranti plywood cuts.  These plywood supports would be further supported by a total of three cleats per side, starboard and port, secured by machine screws.  With the plywood supports cut, I then grabbed some shop material for the cleats to support the side supports.  I had a nice chunk of mahogany in the off-cuts bin that would serve well for the cleats.  My intention was to prepare enough material for the cleats so that when I cut a rabbit on the upper portion there would still be enough material to provide support for the landing platform and ensuing foot traffic.

The picture below shows the rabbit cut into the outboard surface of the cleat, holding the side support.  The cleats will be secured to the molded fiberglass settee with machine screws and backing washers and nut, the side supports will slot into position and also secured with machine screws.

With the side supports at least fabricated, I could now turn my attention to creating the forward vertical panel of the battery box / landing platform.  I had just enough hot glue to secure a portion of cardboard to a 1" x 2" section of lumber.  The cardboard, supported by the dimensional lumber, hung free from touching either side or the cabin sole.  Being out of glue sticks, I used tongue depressors (stir sticks really, since I did not attend dental school), to act as tick points in order to transfer the surface of the molded fiberglass settee and cabin sole to a section of meranti plywood.

Back in the shop, I laid out the crude but effective template onto a piece of 3/4" meranti plywood, and then transferred the apex of each of the tongue depressors onto the plywood.  I then used a straight edge and connected the reference points, creating a pattern of the forward panel for me to cut out.

I removed the front panel from the meranti plywood with a jigsaw, and headed over to the boat for a test fit.  I was surprised to see the first attempt at dialing in the fit of the forward panel was, well, a perfect fit!

I made sure the panel was level before marking reference lines on the cabin sole and vertical surfaces of the settee sides.

I set the front panel to the side for now and got started on the battery mounts - sections of wood that are to be secured to the cabin sole, but will also help to secure the batter.  In the picture below, I used a scrap piece of cardboard and a compass to transfer the cabin sole contours onto the cardboard.

I carefully cut out the cardboard, to reflect the cabin sole surface, and then applied it to the battery supports I had just prepared from a block of teak I had in the shop.  I had to transfer the cabin sole only to the aft battery support.  This was due to the narrowing of the flat cabin sole surface as one moved aft; the forward battery support fit well within it space on the cabin sole.

Below, I have cut out the robust battery supports (teak beams!), and then used the router table and a 1/4" round over bit to ease the edges of the material.

I simply ran out of time for the day, but made great progress of creating the battery box / landing platform.  The only remaining component of the batter box was the actual lid, or landing platform.  I was able to pre-drill for the cleat to support the forward panel, and scrounge up some machine screws for the forward panel cleat and batter supports themselves.

Total Time Today: 4.25 hrs