Antonio,
I addressed this issue in a post entitled
Engine Access Made Easier back in January 15, 2012. The photos were taken while the project was still under construction, but I have now had time to test it sufficiently. I still feel it's an ideal solution.
One of the previous owners had filled in the bolt holes that were once used to fasten the sole to the cockpit base. For some reason, they also removed the flange that once overlapped the base. (That post also addresses this issue.) While there is perhaps no great need to fasten in the floor during fair-weather sailing. But what do you suspect might happen if your boat was knocked flat for some reason? Perhaps by a rogue wave, or being hit during a crossing a ship that was steaming without lights, or for any other possible reason? How long do you think it might take to to fill your boat with water if it rolled over, losing the floor and leaving a 3' x 4' hole in the cockpit? Yeah, it probably would never happen. But what if it did?
My solution was to permanently affix 4 DeStaco clamps to the underside of the sole. These clamps are normally used as hold-down clamps for table saws, etc. I've used them for that purpose for years and they work great! Under normal circumstances, I might leave them unlocked, as my setup allows me to gain access to the engine room within 10 seconds for storing or removing various items (like folding bicycle, hookah dive compressor, etc.). But any time I plan to be in open water, it also takes me about 10 seconds to clamp all four of them good and tight. Besides... even with a gasket on the floor, a heavy rainfall in FL is enough to fill the well above the overlap of the sole and allow water to seep in. Clamping the four clamps negates this concern.
At some point, I'll try to find time to create an article for Windblown. But for now, the
previous post and the following photos should suffice to illustrate my solution.
Photo showing how I easily remove the sole in a matter of seconds.
Lines are attached temporarily and each is a different length to force the angle.
(Old photo, before cockpit refinishing.)
This shows the step inserted at the front of the well, so I can easily step in and out.
The sub-floors also lift in and out and provide room for storage and make a
comfortable seat while working on the engine. Normally, there is also a step that
lays over the top of the transmission to give me a comfortable place to stand, without
straddling the 45 degree angle of the hull or risk damaging the transmission cable.
This shows the DeStaco clamps attached to the underside of the cockpit sole.
It also shows the new flange that was added to replace the one that was removed.
Close-ups of the corner of the new flange (upside down, of course).
Close-up of the DeStaco clamps permanently mounted to the underside.
Photo from inside the engine room (steps, looking aft) which shows the
sole in place, but with DeStaco clamps not yet clamped in place.
This photo shows one of the clamps fastened down.
Typically, I fasten the forward two clamps at all times, since I can reach them without any trouble. I need to remove the steps and lay on the engine to reach the two aft clamps, so I don't do that regularly. If it weren't for the fact that I now have such easy access to the engine compartment for storage, I'd go ahead and do all four each time. I have yet to see any engine room in a boat this size that provides easier access from all sides. And it literally takes seconds to do so. I'm just shy of 5' 10", but I've also had friends try it out who ranged from 5' 3" to 6' 4". They all found it to be just as easy to get in and out. I've seen some other good solutions, but I wouldn't trade for any of them!
