BruceMc
Jul 24, 2016Explorer III
Dinette seat storage space project
I mentioned in another post that I'd removed the drawers under the dinette seats - while these are a great idea, there is a lot of wasted spaced under those seats. I removed the drawers, then installed hinges on the bottom of the drawer faces and used the latch in its original location:

The flip-down door used to be the draw face:

The drawer used about a third of this space. I added the finger holes in the support plywood and sanded all edges. The support boards needed moving and additional fillers were needed, but now the plywood is well supported around the perimeter:

Access is now either by opening the door to get at items close to the drawer, or opening the dinette for full access:

I modified both seats. The aft seat also contains the support structure for the seat belts; it makes the space a bit harder to use, but only because the bracket makes the floor uneven. A simple sub-floor will help there, but will be a project for the future.

The flip-down door used to be the draw face:

The drawer used about a third of this space. I added the finger holes in the support plywood and sanded all edges. The support boards needed moving and additional fillers were needed, but now the plywood is well supported around the perimeter:

Access is now either by opening the door to get at items close to the drawer, or opening the dinette for full access:

I modified both seats. The aft seat also contains the support structure for the seat belts; it makes the space a bit harder to use, but only because the bracket makes the floor uneven. A simple sub-floor will help there, but will be a project for the future.