Storage area divider

I've been thinking for awhile about adding a removeable divider of some sort to the rear storage area of my rig. I have an area 26" from front of batts to the fwd bulkhead, and 30 inches wide, and about 10"-12" deep (I haven't measured the depth yet). At the moment it's just open space that I could probably store pfd's or small items while on the water. Would have to lift the hatch to get to it, but not a big deal. I'm not sure if I want to use a small piece of plywood, treated with some polyurethane, or maybe find a small mesh net of some sort. I want to keep stuff from sliding into the batteries. maybe put some type of rubber/drainable tiles in there to keep stuff from sliding. Below are some pics I took earlier this evening:

26" from battery front to bulkhead, 30" wide:


same area, different angle:


Hatch in open position:

If you wanna make it simple, you could take a piece of plywood(treated with something of course), and screw some stainless screw on rubber "feet" that would just raising it up from the floor 1/2"-1" or so. Then you could take and put up some kind of stretchy net between the compartment, and the batteries to keep everything from sliding into the batteries.

Here is the type of "leg" i'm thinking about...



Just run a screw up through them into the plywood and be done with it.

Just to clarify, you're saying use the plywood (on feet) for the flooring?

Farm supply places sell rubber matting that would work to both protect the metal underneath and keep things from sliding, ask for rubber horse matting or truck bed matting, it's usually about 3/4" thick, works great in the bed of a truck or under a washing machine that likes to walk, fairly reasonable at around $3/sq ft. And, yeah, a piece of plywood with a couple coats of poly and some angle brackets with sheet metal screws would work for a divider, or check in the auto/truck section at wal[satan]mart for cargo net, they have some small ones designed only for lateral movement or for the back of SUVs that would be cheap and work nicely. Another option would be to buy a roll of nylon strap and make yourself a net-type divider, wouldn't exactly have to be a seamstress to sew something functional up, and it would be light weight.

Thanks for the tips fellas. I'm thinking I could get a short length of aluminum channel from Lowe's, cut it to length, and mount one on each vertical to slide the plywood into for a divider, and it would be removeable. I seem to really drag-out these ideas I have until I actually do it. :roll:

Waterwings said:

Thanks for the tips fellas. I'm thinking I could get a short length of aluminum channel from Lowe's, cut it to length, and mount one on each vertical to slide the plywood into for a divider, and it would be removeable. I seem to really drag-out these ideas I have until I actually do it. :roll:

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Here's the problem I see with that. First of all, you are talking plywood, not aluminum. :lol: :lol: :lol:

Nah, just kidding. The real issue I see is that you are planning on putting a divider ahead of those batteries. With the divider at about the level of the front edge of the door, you now have perfect access to the batteries, and a nice little wall boxing in your front hatch, where you can't get anything in or out.

I know with the way you keep your boat, cutting a hatch in the front of the box is not an option.

What are the chances of sliding the batteries to the front of the hatch? It looks like you have an onboard charger on the deck, so that could be mounted, and your batteries could sit up in the front and only need to be accessed when you replace them. Then, you pile your stuff in the back, where it is easily accessible. Or, if the weight distribution isn't an issue, put both batteries on one side or the other, and have your divider run lengthwise, and pile your stuff on the other side.

Good ideas bb1, but the divider won't be as tall as the height of the storage area, maybe 1/2 the height, just enough to keep things from hitting the batts (especially while towing), and still have enough room to get to things. Probably will only store pfd's and a small tool box maybe. I don't carry a lot of stuff with me in the boat as far extra items. What's the word...minimalist I guess. As far as cutting an opening in the front bulkhead, it did cross my mind, as it's only a panel and not needed for structural purposes, but I opted not to. besides, it'd mess up my carpet job on that panel, lol. :wink:

Waterwings said:

Just to clarify, you're saying use the plywood (on feet) for the flooring?

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Yup, Just screw one of those feet on each corner, that will keep everything up off the bottom in case you have any puddling in there. Then just have a stretchy "net" serving as a divider between the batteries and whatever you put in there. The "stretchy-ness" of the net would allow you have better access to things in there, where as a solid divider(such as another piece of plywood) would be just that...solid, so I could see it hindering putting stuff in there.

Got it. Thanks! 8)

go to the bed bath and beyond and pick up a short shower curtain rod that is spring loaded it has rubber feet to help it hold place it across the area you want to hold your tackle boxes. This works great with falcon boxes or plano boxes they wont slide and be easy to remove.
I like the rubber feet on the floor to give any water a place to go without touching your tackle

:idea: That's also an excellent idea, redbug, and I won't have to drill any holes! Thanks! 8)

I like the rubber mat idea for the purpose of just to prevent sliding. Incorporating that with a physical divider would give the batteries and your cargo the best protection from hitting each other. The spring laded or tension type cross bars may just bend the sides, depending on how solid they are. Anything you use as a divider will also have the tendency to still flex in the center unless secured or held in place along the bottom. If you ever had objects fly forward or back in a truck bed when accelerating or braking, you know that they can fly pretty fast.
Just some thoughts.

the shower rod works fine in my triton it doesnt move at all we are talking lures and hooks not 25 lbs of lead .. it will be fine

Sorry, I somehow missed the "small items" part. Maybe I should wake up...

Shouldn't be much if any flex. 30" span, with an end against the sidewalls of the space, and there's foam on the other side of each wall. yep, only thing I may syore there while underway would be extra pfd, and maybe small tool box or extra fishing gear. I have to go to Walmart later today, so I'll be visiting the bath section. 8)

Well, made it to Walmart and in the bath section found a bar that expands to 40", but I only needed it to go to 30". Was looking for something in black or maybe chrome, but had to go with white. It's the type that screws out to the length you need, and it only took about two minutes to install it. It'll work well for keeping light-weight items from sliding into my batteries, plus I can move it to where I need depending on what I'm carrying back there. Now all I need is the non-slip rubber tiles for the deck under there.



side view:

Great idea redbug. Thanks! 8)

How big a peice do you need WW I've got some rubber mats that came off of a roof, If you've ever seen a rubber roof they're the mats placed around heating/AC units for service... They're heavy duty. I would guess about 5' x 2' x 1/2" thick with raised circles on them for traction. If you're willing to make a road trip I'll give you one of my mats. Shoot, we may even wet a line while you're here?
I can snap a pic if you're interested.

Glad you found an easy and inxspensive solution. You have to love when that happens.

Thanks fellas! 8)


Andy, appreciate the offer, but I'm looking at some of those rubber deck tiles (perforated) that lock together. One pack oughta cover that small area well.