Drop down cupboard doors work well in narrow spaces like between forward V bunks. Each shelf has its own door. The bottom doors are designed to clear the floor and lie flat against the cupboard front so they do not protrude into the floor area when open.
Special features of V bunk cupboards with drop down doors.
1/ Wide doors maximize access.
2/ Bottom edge of the door cutouts in the face are higher than the shelf level to act as a deep fiddle.
3/ Shelves behind the doors are removable to allow full access to the hull for periodic inspection. A short ledge attached to the front of each shelf is secured to the back of the cupboard face by two No 8 screws. Each shelf end is also held down by one screw into narrow support ledges.
4/ The shelf does not rest hard against the hull. Removal is quick by lifting the shelf up with a slight twisting action as the hull widens away above it.
5/ Placing non-slip mat on the shelves works very well, and if left long at the back to continue partly up the hull, it will bridge any small gap between hull and shelf. This prevents small bits becoming wedged or lost at the back of the shelf. Particularly useful on Banyandah because pencils and art work are stored there.
Tip – Bunk mattresses on slat bases that hinge up give easy access to the top shelves in addition to through the door. That’s really useful if a guest comes aboard with a suitcase. The suitcase drops in and there’s little need to unpack or find a place to store the suitcase.
For more photos and details: Practical Boat Bits and Tips by Jude Binder
