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As part of a mid-ship water tank replacement I pulled the floorboard under the table to see how much storage was hidden. I was amazed at all that deep virgin space!

The table pedestal extends down into the space so the table can be lowered. There is a large additional 3/4 plywood backing plate screwed to the floor to provide additional support. This backing covers the entire surface area of the middle compartment.

I was concerned with how stable the floor would be if an access panel was cut, but decided the backing plate was so large a portion of it could be safely removed.

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The access area was cut the entire length of the floor board. It is about 10+ wide and stops just short of the table pedestal flange. The existing backing board was cut to provide the support lip and the portion that was cut off was used to provide the support lip for the forward compartment.

With the access panel in place you cant tell the floor was cut (used a brand new fine-cut carbide-tip saw).

The existing floor is just as strong and secure as before.

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This is access to the table pedestal section.

Overall I’m quite pleased with this improvement - the compartments are very large, easily accessible and seem to always remain dry. Well worth the effort (and the only cost was the saw blade).