The design of the B-Plan Freeport includes a large combination head and shower compartment in the forward part of the boat. To facilitate drainage of the area when the shower is in use a large teak grate is provided in the floor, with a collection sump below it. The size of the grate is such that it essentially covers the whole floor of the head compartment.
While it adds an aesthetically attractive, traditional element to the compartment, the teak grate is not very practical. It enthusiasticaly collects dirt, hair and other debris that falls onto it, the holes in it are big enough that fairly large items can drop through into the sump and, being square, the holes are difficult to keep clean. As an added bonus, periodic maintenance in the form of oiling or varnishing the wood is needed.
Here is a view of the collection sump under the grate and the outlet to the sump pump. To minimise flexing of the grate under load a central 'bridge' is molded in to give some support to the narrow, forward part of the grate. Strangely, the designer didn't think it necessary to support the wider, high traffic, high load area between the head and the wash basin and, predictably that part of the grate flexes the most. Also, there is no grille or cover at the sump outlet to stop debris being washed down into the pump.
As a first step to improving things we picked up a cheap tub drain grille to protect the sump outlet.
A general view of the sump with the grille removed....final resting place for trapped hair, lint and errant caps from cosmetic containers and toothpaste tubes!
In addition to the various functional shortcomings in the original grate design, our particular one was suffering other problems. Largely due to general wear and tear, with a little neglect thrown in, our grate was starting to come apart. A big problem was that the underside of the grate appeared to have received no teak treatment, oil or varnish, since it was made! The top face looked like it had been oiled periodically but the unprotected raw wood surfaces on the bottom had been soaking water for decades, thus causing the joint failures and distortion.
This shot shows some of the worst open joints on the side of the grate closest to the head. The lattice work grate design is produced with approximately 90 dado joints, all secured with some sort of glue but no mechanical fasteners. A quick and cheap assembly process for the builder but not very durable for an item that will be subjected to a lot of flexing.
This shot shows the screws that we put in as a first temporary repair. Within a couple of weeks, however, more joints were failing and the whole grate was becoming rickety and noisy.....squeaking and groaning even with our modest avoirdupois! It was also getting very tight and difficult to remove from it's recess due to the distortion.
This side-shot shows how the grate was also deformed at the narrowest end as a result of the looseness and flexing.
(No extra points for noticing that the cap rail varnish is shot.....its on the list!)
We spent a little time looking at ways of possibly repairing the grate but decided that the time and cost really didn't make sense, bearing in mind the other fundamental shortcomings of the design, so.....a completely new approach was needed.
Enter the hero of our tale, Todd the Maintenance Tech. from the sailing school here at the marina. "Why not make a new one from a piece of Starboard?" he said. Well, after a couple of nanoseconds of deliberation we agreed: "Why not indeed?" Todd managed to rustle up a suitable off-cut of 3/4 inch, non-skid textured starboard-like material in a light gray colour and we set to work.
Using the teak grate as a template it was easy to transfer the shape to the polymer. A few minutes with the sabre saw and belt sander and we had our blank. A couple of trial fits and adjustments with the belt sander and we were ready to router the edges. We finished it with about one sixteenth inch clearance all round for easy installation.
Here is the old and the new side by side.
We had originally planned for some drainage holes or slots but decided to test it for drainage without them........surprise, surprise, it seems to drain just fine with nothing but the edge clearances. If we find the drainage is inadequate in service it will be easy to add some holes or slots as necessary.
A recessed finger pull in one corner makes for easy removal and cleaning.
While Freeport originalists and purists may shudder, this new polymer floor panel was very inexpensive and is very easy to clean. It flexes less than the teak grate, it doesn't creak, it requires no maintenance and it will not swallow toothpaste tube caps! We briefly considered using white material, which would have worked (boring), but went with gray as the contrast looks good and hides marks better. Another project checked off the list........funny how that list never seems to get much shorter?
