A fold-away extension is a seat and a workspace
Issue 88 : Jan/Feb 2013
In 2003, a couple of years before retirement, my wife and I fell in love with and purchased a handsome trailerable 25-foot 1995 Catalina, hull #151, with water ballast and a centerboard. Out of necessity and, yes, for the sheer fun of doing projects, we made a series of modifications and improvements to complement the excellent layout of this well-engineered but petite cruiser.
A shortage of seats when entertaining and doing galley stuff, and a desire to have an “inside” lookout perch during foul weather periods, gave us the incentive to add a foldable seat to the companionway steps. Now, many seasons later, we could not imagine what we would do without it.
The concept was simple. As we were often perched on the companionway step until forced to move by a “numb bum,” we agreed to modify one of the hatch steps into a comfortable additional seat.
Our design criteria for the step were extensive: it must be functional and multipurpose, it must be stowed simply and out of the way, it must be available anytime, it must blend with our teak woodwork and interior decor, it must not add clutter, and it must be safe to use.
We wanted this addition to provide extra seating in the cabin for guests and for use when preparing meals. It would also have to serve as a lookout seat in the cabin as well as a perch that would allow for an all-around view when at anchor, moored, or under way. It would allow one of us to be seated while under way when the weather was cold, miserable, or rainy. In addition to all this, our seat should also serve as an extra platform for meal preparation, a holding place for dishes, and as a location for a heater or ventilation unit.
As on most boats, the second step up from the sole is at approximately normal seat height of about 17 inches. In our Catalina it also happens to be the right height to give someone sitting on it an unobstructed view through the cabin windows forward, partly to port, to starboard, and also aft through our homemade one-piece 3⁄8-inch acrylic hatchboard.
Shopping around for wood to match the interior’s teak trim, we found 1-inch-thick teak to match the thickness of the existing step. The dimensions of the new step were determined by the rise between the first and second step and the measurements of the existing step. We also used teak for the folding leg and glued a felt strip to the bottom to prevent abrasion and slipping where wood meets wood.
The teak support leg is 1 inch square, which may be overkill. It could be smaller or be made of aluminum or stainless-steel tubing. The key to the project is making sure there’s sufficient room to fold and store the leg behind the step when it’s hinged down. A stainless-steel piano hinge, with one side attached to the bottom of the existing step and the other to the underside of the back edge of the extension, allows the step to swing down and be easily stored when not in use.
The teak support leg is also attached to the front of the seat extension with a stainless-steel piano hinge. The setback from the front edge of the step extension is determined by the space behind the step in the fold-down position. By angling the leg diagonally, I was able to gain a little length, and it fits nicely out of the way between the companionway steps. This should be measured accurately and adjusted to suit each situation. We finished our new step by oiling the teak.
Having used the seat during extended cruises for many seasons, we have come to rely on it to add to our comfort. It is one of those things that make life aboard a pocket cruiser just that much more enjoyable.
Henk Grasmeyer , a native of Holland, learned to sail at the age of 6 in a rowboat with an oar and a bedsheet. Later, when living in British Columbia, he owned a Hobie Cat for years. Now retired, he and his wife, Johanna, tow and sail their Catalina 25 all over North America.
Thank you to Sailrite Enterprises, Inc., for providing free access to back issues of Good Old Boat through intellectual property rights. Sailrite.com
