Esky in tinny thwart?

[bluepenn]

Hey guys,wondering if anyone has put an esky in a thwart on there tinny.I have a brooker v12 (first boat)with a yammy 15 that i'm in the process of fitting out,and want to cut out a rectangle out of the top of the rear thwart,with hinges, and have an esky in there.Obviously i need something long,not wide.I'm not too keen on cutting to wide as i still want some structural integrity by keeping majority of it intact.

She's a great little boat,just needs some personal touches.I did a carpeted false floor, and carpeted the thwarts as well,much more comfy ;D I made a custom shelf for my sounder which will be the switchboard for my electrics,soon i'll get a stereo too.Man it's addictive when you get started.Everyday after work i'm doing something to it.

So if anyone has an opinion or has done this i'm keen to listen,i'm not sure whether i should look for an esky the right size or just make something.I hate glass work so if i could just use foam i'd be happy.I have just come back from broome to perth so i need to be comfortable as i actually have to wait until i catch something now.::) lol

Thanks in advance.
No pics either,the charger for my camera is up north somewhere.
Cheers.

[PADDLES]

to be honest mate, i'd just chuck an esky on the floor instead. the amount of work and expense involved just isn't worth it in my opinion. besides, an esky with a plywood lid with a couple of maccas trays screwed to it makes a very handy bait/filleting/cleaning table in a little tinny.

[bluepenn]

Thanks paddles for the reply,good idea with the chopping boards too,might be an idea i can pinch.I went out yesterday for a bit with an esky sitting in the middle,but it just takes up too much room.
The boat is only a 3.75,with two blokes and fishing gear,she gets crowded pretty quick.

You might be right about the amount of work,but i guess i can make it as simple as i like.
So far i'm thinking of getting some of those old 6 pack foam esky's with the rope handle
and sinking them into the thwart,maybe one in the back and one in the middle.
I reckon i could just trace the sky onto the thwart,cut it with the grinder and put
some hinges on the bit i cut out,i could even silicone the lid of the esky to the underside
of the flap for a better seal.I would really like to put a tap on it as well,i dont think that
would be too hard.

I'm going to have a shot anyway,for some reason i just thought this was a common
mod that people did.First problem is trying to find a little rope handled foamy.They use
to be everywhere and i haven't seen one in years.I was working in a hospital and
pathology threw out boxes of them.Wish i had kept some.

If anyone else has done this,has an opinion or just wants to chime in i'd like to hear.

[hooknpull]

or some pics... i would love to see some pics if anyone has done this...

[Dan5]

I did it a few years ago on a 385 explorer i had,

I cut out the whole thwart leaving a 50mm either side and about a 200mm piece left at each end so pretty much a 1meter by 350mm hole.

Removed the factory styrene,then had a insert folded up out of 1.6mm alloy to suit my cut out........Then stuck 40mm styrene back onto the insert and re-riveted it back in.

The lid was made from ply coated in resin and some proper esky foam (green stuff from the fiberglassers) was bonded and then resined to the underside of the lid.

I hinged my lid in the middle and carpeted over it all..........I pretty much ended up with a 80-90 ltr esky in the thwart,

I reckon if you talk to a sheetmetal place they will be able to fold you up something cheap.

Total reno should come in under $300 IMO and it will give you some extra space.
sorry no pics on this one as digital cameras were not around when i did mine.

Dan

[bluepenn]

Wow,dan the man,thank you.Now i'm thinking outside the square,i was
thinking of just doing this for some brews to fit in,but a proper size esky
would be great!shame you dont have photos,One question,did it do anything
to the strength or rigidity of the hull?You have really got me thinking now.

I'm going to a alum wlder tomorrow to get a quote on getting the transom
cut down,only an inch though,i did my research.The 15 seems to cavatate a bit
at speed.Anyway i will pose my idea to them,see what they say.It would
just be great to have an esky full of drinks and what not,and not be able to
see it or have to run into it when the reel starts squeeling.

I'm open all ears fella's keep 'em coming.
Thanks again dan for sharing that. ;)

[tunaticer]

If you are going to go to that level of adaption I would consider buying the fridge chiller panels that chescold make to line the thwart with. Whack the compressor under the thwart and you will have a built in 12v fridge. Depends on if you have or are going to fit a deep cycle battery or not though. I have seen two conversions to fridge seats and both were very successful. Good thing to have a mackeral box that is always chilled. The lids are made of 65mm foam for keeping the suns heat from entering the fridge.

[bluepenn]

To be honest dans idea is great but i'm not even going that far.
The size more than anything else is what's inspiring me.If i can't do
it with foam,i probably wont.Well i will just make it work with foam.
Nothing fancy doo-dah at all,the more basic the better.Also cheaper.
I don't have a great deal of money and want to keep complications to
a minimum.

At the end of the day if it holds ice and keeps beers cold,i'm happy.
Not to flash grabbing hot beers from a bucket. I might take a look
in bcf before i start chopping,just in the off chance there is something
i can drop in rather than fab.

More input is welcomed.
Thanks so far. :)

[Horse]

Just be carefull doing this sort of adaptation. The twart in most small tinnies is full of foam and this is an essential safety feature. Start playing around with this and in the event of a serious incident you could be facing some difficult questions. Just grab a soft sided cooler bag and shove it behind the rear seat or use a ridgid one with a cutting board as a workstation

[TheGurn]

Best advice I can give is don't rush into things. Think about it and then think 'what else can I do at the same time?' .

For starters, cram as much foam under that false floor as you can.. ;)

Depending how the thwart is constructed, how about cutting a complete section out, invert it, reweld it in place with some end walls.
Seal it all, bung in a bung and then put a lid on it.
Line it all (including lid) with insulation. Make it so you can remove the insulation and you also get a live well or kill tank when you want.

Or make it all tad larger and have an esky and a live/kill well plus some dry storage, with seperate lids on each.

Take your time and do it right, and when you go out in your tinnie, there's nothing on the floor except your feet :D

Cheers

Gurn

[marto78]

Rip the seat out all together and bolt in one of those long mackeral eskies with a cushion on top to sit on. Or better yet do it to the front seat where you wont have to sit on it if it is too low.

[bluepenn]

Thanks guys for the reply's i really appreciate the input.

Horse,good point, i have thought about that and i think
a few cut up pool noodles under the floor will do it,just like
TheGurn said.I got that idea off here too.

Gurn,You have a good idea there,might be something i can do,more
to the point i think your "take it slow" idea is spot on.Being an impatient
bugger i find it hard,but i guess if it's worth doing i may as well do it right.

Marto,i have thought about taking the middle seat out,but i just made
the floor's so i dont want to have to redo it just now,them esky's can
be bloody expensive too.

On an update note, i went to a marine shop today and bought a swivel
seat.This stuff gets pricey pretty quick.I managed to find some "6 pack"
rope handled foamies at a camping shop,they wanted $15 each,they can
keep them.I ended up purchasing a weico ice box that fits in the back,which
will have to do for now.

I haven't given up yet and my mind is ticking on how to do it.Now
i have some ideas.I'm going to do a custom job,hopefully avoiding
glass work.It will be about a metre in length but not very wide.It
was initially just for a few beers,but if i catch something decent
i want somewhere to put it.

My "decent" probably isn't what you guys call decent but yeh.
Watch this space,it's definitely happening.-On another note i
wanted to ask this ali welder if he could do something for me,
but they are so busy,with big,proper jobs,i was only lucky enough
To get the transom booked in for shortening on monday.Looks i will
do the esky myself.

More ideas or comments are always welcomed,i check this
page daily,as i think long and hard daily how to tackle it.

Thanks again everyone,happy catching. ;D

[bluepenn]

Well,bit of an update,it's done.So much for not rushing into things.Driving
around today at work i saw a large foam esky,grabbed it and went from
there.I had to narrow the esky about 75mm so it would fit in the thwart.
I was going to cut a hole and drop it in but this limits the size of the esky.
Instead i trimmed the bottom of the thwart and managed to squeeze
my 2 esky halfs under it.

The esky is about half a metre,by about 200mm,so it's a pretty good size.
The hardest part of the whole process was getting that awful foam
out.Without being on a striclty adult forum,ile go as far to say it was
a pain.A really descent one.

I had to pull the carpet off the seat to do this,but tomorrow i will
glue it back down and cut around my flap,throw some hinges in there,
brace the lid for some more strength and rivet some flaps under,to
support the lid.Later on i will sort out a handle and a drain plug.

I'm pretty chuffed with this,i have a large esky,taking up no room.
So far it has cost me nothing.As for pictures,they are coming.
It's as good as not done,if there's no pics hey.Ile get onto that.
Thanks for everyones help and ideas,i took a bit from everyone
to get this to work.

Can't wait to hit the water.;D

[bluepenn]

O.k i have a new stronger lid now,cut out of 2mm ali that i found,
The hinges and supports are in,and i layed the carpet back over
and trimmed it to size.I used some leather i had lying around and
riveted it to the lid for a handle.I gotta say i'm pretty happy with it.
All i need to do is fit a drain,which luckily i can find on the side of the
road tomorrow while i'm working and silicone it in.You can see
the esky sticking out the bottom on the side i trimmed,doesn't
bother me really.I would have left the carpet long,but it didn't
seem right.

I also managed to take some pics with the phone and get them
on here so it can be seen.I did this job rather quickly and on a
very limited budget,but it should do it's job.Shame i gotta work
tomorrow, Sunday here i come.Give me a chance to test my new
seat also.Yeeha!

http://i735.photobucket.com/albums/ww360/the20valveman/09122011161.jpg

http://i735.photobucket.com/albums/ww360/the20valveman/09122011162.jpg

http://i735.photobucket.com/albums/ww360/the20valveman/09122011163.jpg

Thanks for looking,and for everybody's ideas. ;D
See you out there...

[hooknpull]

i love the lid lol!!!

[Prowl n Wolf]

looking at what you have done you've got to wonder why the mass tinnie producers dont have this as a standard inclusion in there boats. i've often thought of the wasted space and if the engineering allowed such a thing. good onya for hav'n a crack. regards, tony.

[marto78]

A couple of pieces of ply or the rest of that keep left sign to protect the bottom half of your esky and your set.

Awesome job mate you have to be happy with that. :)

[wayno60]

The Brisbane City Council wants their keep left sign back.......

nice idea, im going to have a look at mine tomorrow.

[bluepenn]

Thanks guys for all the kind words,i was going to mention
the sign,it wasn't stolen,i actually found 2 of them next to
a camp fire when i was out 4wding.I made my custom shelf
out of one,and the brackets for it and this esky lid.The stuff
is 2mm thick and great material.I must say,now i keep an eye out
for any signs lying around.Probly not %100 legal but findas keepas.
;D

The esky works great,and i can fit a whole carton in there if i want.
I'm thinking of doing a smaller one for the back,just for bait and
storage.I need to put a plug/drain on the esky and fix the lid.
My mate snapped one of the hinges in a semi drunk stuper.
As coincidence would have it the thwart that the esky is in
has like a little "shelf" bit where the front of the thwart bends
under and points back.This supports the esky,and sqeezed in
beatifully,so she's plenty strong.

We went out yesterday and had a ball,until some rich
idiot on a yacht wanted to fight us.I mean come on.
I was going a bit quick for the marina and he's yelling
and carrying on like a tool.I turned the boat around and
went to ask why he's acting like a baby and that i'm having
a good time and am sorry for going quick,and he's still
mouthing off.Turns out it wasn't even his boat,it was his mates.
There was a fire in that marina a few weeks back,we
could have been anybody.I'm new to boating,some people
just amaze me.I can only hope after we left,old bugalugs put he's toys
back in his pram.It must make you feel big to be on a big
cruze boat in a marina,yelling at people in a tinny and showing
off to your wife and friends.What a hero.His kids must
be so proud.

Anyway,enough of that,i better go clean the boat out and
fix what needs to be fixed.I'm wondering whether i should get some
beefier alum hinges rather than the brass ones.i'll see.

Thanks for your reply's ;D

[TheGurn]

Hey Bluepenn, nice job.

But trust me when I say.... the law doesn't play 'finders keepers' with road/safety signs, no matter where you find them.

And the law will want to check your esky one day....

Cheers

Gurn

[gruntahunta]

Hey put my keep left sign back.... wondered where it went!

[bluepenn]

hahaha, good point though,i will probably get pulled up on it.
I will be getting some outdoor white paint and covering up
the signage.I had the signs sitting in my ute for ages,nearly
threw them in the skip,glad i didn't.awesome material for using
on the boat.

Sometimes i see huge signs on the side of the freeway and think
"i could make a boat out of that" i'm not a thief,and feel quite cheeky
just using the ones i have found.I could probably still get done for
having them,as far as i know they always belong concil property.
I will consider myself lucky and cover them up as soon as i can.

I was actually thinking of finding out who makes the signs and
seeing if they have any offcuts,they throw out,that they wouldn't
mind getting rid of for cheap.Alu sheet isn't cheap hey.

Anyway she needs some tweeking,i love having this as a
hobby for after work.Drink and rod holders are this weeks
project.

happy boating.

[purnong]

Instead of painting inside the lid (sign) What about gluing another piece of foam under it
That way you cover it up and get better insulation as well
You quite often see signs or part thereof for sale at dump recycle shops so I wouldn't be too worried about it

[bluepenn]

purnong,i completely forgot about lining the lid,now i
fell really stupid.I just boughta can of heavy duty
enamel and painted my shelf and theinside of the lid.
Later on i will definitely get foam.Seems like i
might have to brace the esky a bit better like someone
suggested,there is a bit of flog in it,up and down.So
its not fully sealed.Works but.

I also need to find a drain plug for it,i have a hole
punched in it at the moment with a pen shoved in
there while it's in use.Very intricate piece of design there.

I fixed the hinges,then my mate broke one again on monday.
Not his fault really,sometimes the lid catches and i think the hinges
where made for a toy box.When i got the paint today i got
nice stainless hinges.Problem fixed.

Nice to know you can get the signs elsewhere.If i happen to
find any again i wont be so worried about getting busted
for having them lying around.The material is worth it's
weight in gold.I made my custom 3 shelf thingo for the sounder,
numerous brackets and the esky lid.i still have some left
over too.Not bad for bugger all.

Once again thanks for the kind words,advice and ideas
everyone.
See ya out there....

Bluepenn.

[netmaker]

if you want something to go with your fridge....7465374654
then you can have hot and cold;) plenty of good ideas on this site. have you checked out "your inventions" sticky?

[ozynorts]

hey bluepenn, where did you the rod holders?
I am trying to figure out where to put them in my 340 car topper.
love the esky.