Here shown holding what it usually does-- iced tea-- is the interior of the cooler as I modified it. The divider is Plexiglass left over from the cabin windows. It slides down into place between Starboard fiddles mounted in 5200 (to seal the screw holes so water doesn't get into the foam core; it does not stick to Starboard). The side corners are cut out to let water reach the drain fitting, a plastic one I installed in the forward end. The drain deposits its dribble into a PVC receptacle in the floor of this compartment which in turn carries the dribble forward into the bilge. The drain in the cooler is cut off flush with the bottom so the cooler will sit level (and thus structurally sound) on a flat surface like the dock.
Beyond the divider Starboard fiddles hold a grilled shelf for smaller items. The bagged ice goes under the grill. (This cooler is not big or strong enough to hold a full block. Nevertheless, with a plug in the drain it will hold some residue of ice-- not merely cold water-- for 5 days.) With this configuration, there is a place that remains free of ice cubes to hold taller things, like full gallons of water or iced tea, wine bottles, etc. The smaller stuff goes above the ice in back.
The grill is a leftover section from the light baffle material I got when installing a work light in my mother's kitchen. It is not very strong and was annoying to cut, as a jigsaw only shattered it and a bandsaw did only a little less damage. I resorted to cutting it by hand with a very fine hacksaw blade. Of course the sides are not parallel, due to the cooler's shape, and the back edge is slightly rounded. And then there is the issue of ensuring that the square holes, when cut through, allow enough support along the fiddles. As can be seen I got it aligned so that one long strake rides on each side fiddle.
The cooler is not a 'marine'-spec one but a standard Coleman '5-day' campers'-spec one. The marine ones all have top hinges along the side. As seen here Diana needs one hinged from the end-- or, as here, not at all.
The cooler sits under the ladder; its top is covered by the bottom step (which I personally never use, as I step on the quarter berth edge when entering or leaving the cockpit). This step is hinged at the back. I do not yet have it rigged but I want to have a Fastpin slid through the ladder side(s) to hold up the step. Then one can lift the cooler lid without having to hold up the weight of the step. The step does not protrude far enough beyond the upper one to allow anyone to accidentally step on it and break it or bend the Fastpin. If it's pinned up, you will see there is no step below (or just the cooler lid) and step onto the quarter berth instead.
The pencil scribble on the not-yet-painted right side (left in photo) is marking where the recessed red LED footlight will go. With the step and lid down, it illuminates the step. With the step up, it illuminates the cooler.
The heavy fiddles screwed to the sides support the step, which is 1/2" plywood with a 3/4" step plate epoxied to the front edge. It was varnished about 7 years ago with Captain's Varnish and is still holding up well.
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