Date: 4 December 2014. Building a Locker (Part 1)

This week I opened a kitty litter container (one of the plastic ones that are so great for storage in the bilge) and discovered it wasn't working out quite as well as I'd anticipated. You see, I kept four dozen canning jars in there and condensation bit me on the can tops. Fortunately nothing broke, but one jar lost it's seal.

The jars are everywhere, and a real m-e-s-s. Which is fine motivation to solve the problem, eh?

I'm rapidly losing the Christmas spirit in the chaos of the project.

The first thing to do was remove all the jars and dry them. Many of the rings had rusted so they were unscrewed and thrown away. All jars were wiped down and inspected. Still, it was a disheartening moment. I rely on the jars I process for sustenance and to have even one fail...

And of course I don't want more problems. Now I know that the plastic container I'd used allowed condensation and that is the point of failure. Frankly though I wasn't impressed with the method in the first place. It didn't allow me to easily see what I had on hand.

Side Note to Self: Add ventilation when storing jars with lids that can rust.

Who wants to open the bilge, pull out a box and go through it looking for a jar with a stuffed green pepper? It's too difficult. This has been an ongoing problem and it's time to have a permanent solution.

Minor irritations make for major thorns if not resolved quickly.

I've been considering adding a locker beneath my dinette for the jars. It wouldn't be super easy to get to but it would be an improvement over the current chaotic conglomeration. What I have now is:

• A kitty litter box in the pilothouse bilge.

• Three cases of jars stored in a small locker under the reefer.

• And a milk crate in the bilge with extra supplies including my pressure cooker

Frankly, it's a mess. It's not tidy and getting to anything is a pain in the transom. I want a locker.

So for the past few days I've had out my tape rule and have been plotting destruction and construction. It's been fun.

Initially I measured the jars three deep so I'd be able to make maximum use of the space. That becomes problematic because I use both wide mouthed and standard jars. That meant two different diameters and heights to contend with.

At first I'd decided that nine inches would be sufficient depth. Each shelf will be designed to hold two jars stacked. Side Note: the jars do not sit well when three high. Two works a-okay.

"Seaweed" is written in permanent marker on anything that could easily grow legs.

I tinkered with the sides (supporting the shelves) and how to attach to the bulkhead/dinette benches. Lots of thinking was involved. Don't worry: no animals were injured in the exercise though my brain did require multiple doses of caffeine.

Initially I'd opted for a 9" deep locker, then upped it to ten inches. That is because tens are easier to work with for me. And the extra would allow a fiddle at the front of the shelf to keep jars from sliding out when the doors are opened.

Then today I had the brilliant idea that I should store ALL the canning goods together -- including the pressure cooker. Well, of course. You'd have thought that would have been a first consideration. Sometimes though the obvious escapes me.
 

So I got out the pressure cooker and measured across. It's just less than 11" so my carefully designed and mapped out 10" deep locker won't work. Now, three days into this mess, I've decided the locker will be 12" deep. One sheet of 3/8" thick plywood should do it.

Note: If money were no object I'd opt for better quality wood. It would be lovely to build this out of something beautiful but I know that with a bit of tweaking it will look a-okay. Below is a peek at a DVD shelf in my cabin. The rough edges are hidden behind that wood that looks like rope. It's pretty, and functional.

Stained, the trim covers the icky edges of the plywood. (My VHF is tuned to weather channel.)
 

Anyway, I've rambled... I tend to do that. Kidlet calls them Bunny Trails.

So, back to the canning jar locker. One sheet of 3/8" plywood will suffice. I'll see if the local hardware store will whack it into 12" strips which would make transport much simpler. If I'm very fortunate they might even cross cut them to the exact lengths. Then all I'll have to do is screw 'em together.

We shall see -- tomorrow. Or the next day. When the project is complete I'll do a follow-up. As my favorite local is busy until after the new year I've got time to tinker. I'd rather tinker with him though, truth be told. It's doggone cold here in Carrabelle and I miss the fellow.

The follow-up article can be found here: Building a Locker (Part 2)

Have you ever built from scratch a locker?
Do you have any advice or things I should look out for during the process?

COMMENTS:
 

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