Marine Trader DC Aft Cabin Flooring Design

[CharlestonSailor]

Hello all!

I’ve newly acquired a 1978 MT Double Cabin.

Preface: I have worked a lot on older vessels, 1967 36’ Wooden Cape Island Trawler and and 1974 Tartan 34C, so very comfortable with renovations.

The MT purchased has had the aft Cabin floor stripped down to the cement ballast, and all the bulkheads and flooring removed (except in the Head, but the old head mini bath has been removed)

Also, the rear exit hatch has been removed and glassed in. Window remains. This does offer more room to re design the space.

Prior owner plans fell through.

I’ll be redesigning the area quite differently then the original design (IE shower, queen bed, maybe desk area)

My first step is to reinstall a proper floor, and what I’m wondering is if the original floor had any access panels for any reasons, to the shallow bilge area.

I imagine it was Parquet, like the other floors, but that’s not important, what I’m really wondering is if I should be making access panels.

Or just parts of the floor liftable for access.

Does anyone have any photos of the aft cabin flooring they could kindly post here?

Or thoughts from experience with this boat?

Photos perhaps do not have to be of a 34’, I imagine the floor designs of slightly larger double cabins were similar from access panels (or not) point of views.

First post here, so I’ll see if I can take some pics, and post, in case it would be of help.

Also, I’ve not subscribed to the Marine Trawlers group yet, will soon, does anyone know where I could find an original 1978 Marine Traders 34DC owners manual in PDF? (Or hard copy)

Thank for for any help, much appreciated!

 

[CharlieO.]

Hello all!

I’ve newly acquired a 1978 MT Double Cabin.

Preface: I have worked a lot on older vessels, 1967 36’ Wooden Cape Island Trawler and and 1974 Tartan 34C, so very comfortable with renovations.

The MT purchased has had the aft Cabin floor stripped down to the cement ballast, and all the bulkheads and flooring removed (except in the Head, but the old head mini bath has been removed)

Also, the rear exit hatch has been removed and glassed in. Window remains. This does offer more room to re design the space.

Prior owner plans fell through.

I’ll be redesigning the area quite differently then the original design (IE shower, queen bed, maybe desk area)

My first step is to reinstall a proper floor, and what I’m wondering is if the original floor had any access panels for any reasons, to the shallow bilge area.

I imagine it was Parquet, like the other floors, but that’s not important, what I’m really wondering is if I should be making access panels.

Or just parts of the floor liftable for access.

Does anyone have any photos of the aft cabin flooring they could kindly post here?

Or thoughts from experience with this boat?

Photos perhaps do not have to be of a 34’, I imagine the floor designs of slightly larger double cabins were similar from access panels (or not) point of views.

First post here, so I’ll see if I can take some pics, and post, in case it would be of help.

Also, I’ve not subscribed to the Marine Trawlers group yet, will soon, does anyone know where I could find an original 1978 Marine Traders 34DC owners manual in PDF? (Or hard copy)

Thank for for any help, much appreciated!

The only access I have is a small square hatch under the stairs going into the salon to access the shaft stuffing box. If I were rebuilding that bulkhead I would make the whole stairs hinge up and a big access panel/door in that bulkhead to provide better access to the back of the engine and to the transmission.

 

[alormaria]

Welcome to Marine Trading World!

As Charlie said the only access panel is the small square one under the stairs giving access to the stuffing box. There isn't really anything else under the flooring that needs looking after.

A few years ago I had to remove half the aft cabin floor as the plywood under the parquet had deteriorated. The other half of the floor was perfect. I replaced the plywood with good exterior grade and put back the furniture and the parquet floor. It looks like it never happened.

They are good boats but you have to keep after'em.

 

[Comodave]

Welcome aboard. Make all access hatches oversized, you will appreciate it later. Make access hatches for any mechanical items, like strut mounts, if any.

 

[CharlestonSailor]

The only access I have is a small square hatch under the stairs going into the salon to access the shaft stuffing box. If I were rebuilding that bulkhead I would make the whole stairs hinge up and a big access panel/door in that bulkhead to provide better access to the back of the engine and to the transmission.

Terrific. I had noticed a small panel and the lower stair come off, but it also hit me that there seemed to no limited access to the very important stuffing box. I will likely modify some of those parts, perhaps more stairs removable, and take a look at the rear engine access, see if it’s ok our could benefit from improvement.

Knowing there were no other hatches helps.

In mine due to rain through an opening, some water is present, and stuck between stringers (or whatever the transversal parts are called).

It appears there are no weep holes in them.

Perhaps there are not supposed to be.

I presume once I make sure the aft rudder area floor is properly sealed off from the rear cabin, (and windows etc) there won’t be any water intrusion under the floor, and I don’t have to worry about still water there.

Great idea to improve access in that area, I’m a bit picky about perfect shaft stuffing box (and rudder gland) supervision, thanks!!

 

[CharlestonSailor]

Welcome to Marine Trading World!

As Charlie said the only access panel is the small square one under the stairs giving access to the stuffing box. There isn't really anything else under the flooring that needs looking after.

A few years ago I had to remove half the aft cabin floor as the plywood under the parquet had deteriorated. The other half of the floor was perfect. I replaced the plywood with good exterior grade and put back the furniture and the parquet floor. It looks like it never happened.

They are good boats but you have to keep after'em.

Ok terrific that’s comforting to hear, definitely less work to knock out a solid floor without panels.

I’ll be properly cleaning priming and coating the cement and old wood before re flooring.

It appears prior owner was attempting to replace some of the cement ballast, pick and shovel, 1 pail of pieces and he quickly gave up. (Been there, we sometimes get over our head seeking to make changes that don’t need to be)

I’m fortunate, all teak decking was removed, 3/4 marine ply and 9 gallons of 2 part epoxy used to fix that bigger issue up.

Thanks for the advice!

 

[CharlestonSailor]

Welcome aboard. Make all access hatches oversized, you will appreciate it later. Make access hatches for any mechanical items, like strut mounts, if any.

For the main engine are, the hatches are already very big, but very heavy.
as I use them more, I’ll see if their weight is a hassle or not, if so, I might determine if hinges and struts are a viable and wise improvement.

Good idea, thanks.

 

[CharlieO.]

Ok terrific that’s comforting to hear, definitely less work to knock out a solid floor without panels.

I’ll be properly cleaning priming and coating the cement and old wood before re flooring.

It appears prior owner was attempting to replace some of the cement ballast, pick and shovel, 1 pail of pieces and he quickly gave up. (Been there, we sometimes get over our head seeking to make changes that don’t need to be)

I’m fortunate, all teak decking was removed, 3/4 marine ply and 9 gallons of 2 part epoxy used to fix that bigger issue up.

Thanks for the advice!

I would be inclined to try to find out why they were trying to remove the concrete ballast. My concern would be that they were trying to get to the shaft log/tube for replacement.

 

[Comodave]

We had a Trojan that had very heavy engine hatches. I added a piano hinge so it would be under more control when lifting it. Added a strap to keep it open so it wouldn’t drop on my head.

 

[SIBERNUT]

Scuse my stinkin' ignorance, but seems you now have no emergency exit. Just sayin'.........

 

[Comodave]

Our last boat had the escape hatch decked over by the PO. When I bought the boat the very first thing I did was cut the deck open and put a new hatch in. Even then I was very uncomfortable sleeping in the aft cabin until I had it done.

 

[CharlestonSailor]

Scuse my stinkin' ignorance, but seems you now have no emergency exit. Just sayin'.........

I had a hunch someone would say that…

Emergency hatch for what, fire?…

How’s the emergency exit on your car if it rolls over? Maybe you should build a hatch in the floor?

Unless it’s an old Beetle, those rusted floors can just be punched through, lol.

It’s not stinking ignorance, but if you looked at the photos, you’d realize:

There are 3 windows that open, and 2 opening Bomar ceiling hatches.

I’ll take 5 openings vs a stairway chopping off the floor plan in two and preventing the install of a Queen or King size bed all day long.

Tks for the concern though!

 

[CharlestonSailor]

Our last boat had the escape hatch decked over by the PO. When I bought the boat the very first thing I did was cut the deck open and put a new hatch in. Even then I was very uncomfortable sleeping in the aft cabin until I had it done.

Yep. Not sure if the photos showed on my post, fortunately, there are 3 windows, 2 opening at this time and the third will, and not one but 2 ceiling hatches.

Super well set up for light, ventilation, and safety.

 

[CharlestonSailor]

I would be inclined to try to find out why they were trying to remove the concrete ballast. My concern would be that they were trying to get to the shaft log/tube for replacement.

Good point, but fortunately that’s not the case.

The prior owner didn’t even get a survey done, had never fixed an old boat, and read somewhere that the cement can get “moldy” if damp, therefore it was best to remove some and replace it with lead then paint Kilz over it…guess some owners have done that.

Barely 30 pounds were removed, a few shovels, as can be seen in the photos.
I’ll be drying it, sealing it, and leave it as is.

I will indeed properly survey the shaft in its entirety as part of my mechanical systems review process before moving and splashing her in the water, especially that you’ve brought this up.

Tks!

 

[CharlestonSailor]

We had a Trojan that had very heavy engine hatches. I added a piano hinge so it would be under more control when lifting it. Added a strap to keep it open so it wouldn’t drop on my head.

Aha, great idea. I’ve used piano hinges on cabinetry before. Might go that route vs regular hinges, and the simple hold up straps is indeed a lot easier then struts.
That’s what I’ll do, thank you for the idea!

 

[Comodave]

My hatches in the Trojan were likely too heavy for struts and besides struts wear out, straps don’t. I used some 3” wide piano hinges so they were strong enough and the screw holes were back from the edge far enough to get a good bite in the deck.

So you have a window in the aft cabin that is big enough to crawl out in case of fire? If so then you don’t need the hatch. We only had 7 small ports in that boat so no way to get out of the aft cabin if the engine room caught fire.

 

[CharlieO.]

Sorry, I'm not seeing any of the photos you are referring us too.

 

[CharlestonSailor]

My hatches in the Trojan were likely too heavy for struts and besides struts wear out, straps don’t. I used some 3” wide piano hinges so they were strong enough and the screw holes were back from the edge far enough to get a good bite in the deck.

So you have a window in the aft cabin that is big enough to crawl out in case of fire? If so then you don’t need the hatch. We only had 7 small ports in that boat so no way to get out of the aft cabin if the engine room caught fire.

Super idea on the wider hinges. Yes, fortunately, both windows are RV style, very wide opening, and both hatches in the ceiling are big enough, one is 24” square. Plus, the rear window, that’s occupied by an hvac unit at this time, probably install an Bomar style opening hatch there too.

 

[CharlestonSailor]

Sorry, I'm not seeing any of the photos you are referring us too.

 

[CharlestonSailor]

Sorry, I’ll try again, using attach files button.