OK, this is for you MK I folks. After owning my boat for 10 years and another MK I for 5 years, I made a change today that has completely changed the feel of my boat's interior. I have always used the aft cabin as the "garage", just a place to put the cockpit cushions, etc.. Today I was noodling around back there looking for a place to mount my DTV antenna for the TV. For the very first time, I looked at the folding aft cabin doors which I have not closed...ever, and decided to try taking them off. OH MY GOD! My boat has an entirely new room. Just changing the opening from 2' to 3' has completely opened up the aft cabin and has changed the whole boat. Now, instead of being "stuck back there", people could sit on the aft cabin settee and be part of the conversation in the main salon, it's that opened up. Now, I may well be the last MK I owner to think of this, but I've never read a post about it and it's such an incredible change I just had to share it.
Mike
Deja Vu
1991 MK I # 1106
Marina del Rey, CA
Yep it is astounding Mike how much room it adds. When we bought our boat from our friend, it never had them on but sit in the basement taking up space.
Randy Sherwood
Mutualfun 1990 # 1057
T/R W/K M35a
Home. Charlotte, Mi.
Boat. St Augustine,Fl.
I don't get it. With my doors retracted and fastened I've always felt I could sit back there and still be part of the action in the saloon. More importantly to me when I'm done being part of the action I can close the door and have some privacy.
For us the privacy the doors offer is too important to consider removing them. In fact, on one of our first trips after we got our C36 we had invited another couple along and they had a friend from Finland visiting so we invited her to come along also. It was a 3 day trip with a couple we hadn't traveled with before and a young lady we'd never met. The trip went with zero problems due to the excellent privacy our C36's offer, and our European guest got to experience some of the best the Chesapeake has to offer.
That said, the aft cabin is used as a storage area for live vests, cushsions etc, because you have to put stuff somewhere, but even so there is still room for a couple to sleep back there.
Bill Boggs
s/v Palmetto Moon
1991 C36, Hull 1128
Herrington Harbor South
Chesapeake Bay
I took mine off as well. Found it hard to get in and out , but not anymore! I put a gause curtian in for simi-privacy. Oh and filled the space to form a thortships bunk.
In the heat of the summer we keep the back closed off so the A/C doesnl't have to work so hard to keep the boat cool. Like others have said, it ends up being a storage area. I do like filing in the open space to make a large berth in line with the beam. "Athwartships" as they say
Bill
s/v Lucky
1984 MK I Hull #266
San Antonio, Texas
Our aft cabin door went in the dumpster almost as soon as we got the boat home. I think we are going to put a cloth curtain there so any guests who sleep back there can have some illusion of privacy, but I will make sure it can tuck completely out of the way when not in use.
Jason V
Vancouver, BC, Canada