In my Marieholm 26 the forward floor panel is fibreglassed in place where in the attached photo (taken from the web) I see what looks to be a removable panel. My panel does have a table support set into which when removed reveals a fair amount of moisture in the cavity underneath.
Does anyone know whether the fixed in place panel is something that was done in the factory or afterward, and generally whether it's a good/bad idea to cut it out and replace with a removable one?
Marieholm Folkboat 26 floor photo.jpg (102.31 KiB) Visad 6089 gånger
The forward panel is troublesome on my IF. If I step near either of the long edges it occasionally slides abruptly sideways and collapses into the bilge below.
It's not a long fall but since you're already in an awkward position due to the low headroom in this section, I find that you slam your knees and elbows quite hard into the interior when your footing is lost. After a few near misses with knees and faces and sharp objects I always begin any work in this section of the boat by removing the floor panel to ensure a good footing.
The other panels I have no issues with. I think the problem is the shallow hull angle against which the forward panel is stabilised. The hull sides are steeper further aft.
I don't know if it's a common issue but I could see someone fixing the forward panel permanently in place due to similar experiences. I wouldn't want the saloon table mounted on mine.
1. Aft panel, underneath which the newer IF-boats have the lifting eye. (my boat is from 1971)
2. Middle panel wchich is fixed, screwed by 4 screws, equipped with 2 table supports
3. Forward panel, underneath wchich I have stored the anchor (folded) and anchor line. As I remember, the panel is supported from underneath by some wooden peaces to prevent sliding.
Marek, IF-båt SWE-829 "Ingela" från Lagunen i Malmö
Medlem i IF-båtförbundet sedan 1985
IF-båtägare sedan 1983
I should add that my IF floor plan is the one shown in the picture in the original post. Three panels of which the middle one has two threaded holes for table legs and the rear and forward one have a collapsing lifting eye. All three are removable. Even though the picture only shows half of the floor, everything (including metal hardware and carpet) is identical so I assume a full picture would show a three panel floor.
Looking briefly at some M26 pictures and videos on the web it seems like the floor plan is different, and often with the non removable forward part with a thread for a table leg as described in the original post. My above comment can likely be disregarded for the M26.
Maybe the forward floor panel of the M26 is fixed by screws as the middle one for an IF ? It could be wise to have the panel with table supports fixed ...
Marek, IF-båt SWE-829 "Ingela" från Lagunen i Malmö
Medlem i IF-båtförbundet sedan 1985
IF-båtägare sedan 1983
Thanks for your answers. Based on what Andreas89 says about his panel moving around, if I do cut it out I reckon I'll probably end up wanting to fix it back in again so might be best to leave it as is...
