Plastic Classic Forum

I bought the Dorade box and vent from Mariners Hardware a couple of years ago and kind of forgot about it as I went abou attending to more urgent issues (eg. engine alignment, fuel tank, rudder shaft, etc...) I final turned to the project last couple of weeks and with my friend Rob's help I installed it on Blossom. It actually looks just right (size, location-wise). One lesson I learned from the project is that it is very challenging to shape the bottom of thd Dorade box to fit perfectly the complex curve of the Triton cabin top. That's why you can see approximatley 1/8 inch gap between the cabin top and the box.

I bought the trim piece from Mariners Hardware too. It's nothing fancy, just a round trim piece. I will take a picture of the inside next week.

Hey, it looks great but, please tell me, are the drain holes both in the forward compartment or one hole in each compartment? - - - Just curious.

That is really nice looking. Is that covering an existing fiberglass dorade or is it a new installation? I've been toying with the idea of building nice dorade vents to cover up the old fiberglass ones.

I built some covers for the fiberglass dorades on my Tartan:





Joe

Joe, what's the reason for the white material on top of the box?
I've seen dorade boxes on other nice boats, notably Hinckleys, with plastic tops as well.
Is it because the top is the first place the varnish goes?

One thing it will do is allow some light into the cabin through the hole in the headliner forward of the baffle.

Duncan,

One thing it will do is allow some light into the cabin through the hole in the headliner forward of the baffle.

Yes. That is reason I chose it.

The 1/2 " white acrylic on the box I think is rated at around 35% translucent. It adds some light in the part of the boat that doesn't have much.

Joe

Skipper599 wrote:Hey, it looks great but, please tell me, are the drain holes both in the forward compartment or one hole in each compartment? - - - Just curious.

Sorry, I just posted the project and forgot about it. Yes, one hole for each compartment.

galleywench wrote:That is really nice looking. Is that covering an existing fiberglass dorade or is it a new installation? I've been toying with the idea of building nice dorade vents to cover up the old fiberglass ones.

I have a west coast Triton. There were no dorades before. The starboard side of the cabin top, symmetrically located to the dorade, is a Charlie Noble for my wood burning cabin heater.