storing weather boards in cockpit

Hello all,
My husband and I have a IP 370 and are looking for a good way to store the weather boards in the cockpit when not in their intended tracks. I have seen.....on other boats......where they have put weather boards into a bag that is permanently attached. I have looked on all of the normal chandlery websites but only find bags for line storage. Does anyone have any ideas or even other suggestions of how to store these to keep them handy but out of the way?

Thank you
Lori B

On our IP380 there is a storage shelf under the nav table for the weather boards.

Thank you for the suggestion but our weather boards are attached to the companionway doorway and so they do have to be stored in the cockpit. We are doing a circumnavigation and need them attached/close by. Generally, we just keep them next to the winch however, they do get in the way and move around.

We do not have the storage shelf under the nav table but that would definitely be a way to get them out of the way.

Thank you
Lori

Hi,
I also have an IP370 and the storage place for the boards is under the stairs. they lay flat overtop of the front of the engine. I think it's best to have the board installed in the track or inside the boat. Otherwise you could loose one in severe weather if it's loose in the cockpit

Jules.

Jules
Thank you for the reply. All of our weather boards are attached to the companionway/doorway frame in the cockpit. We have done this to avoid loosing the boards while we are on our journey. Because they are all attached in the cockpit, I was just wondering if anyone knew of any easy way to store them in the cockpit (at least the top two boards) when the seas are a little more calm. I have seen other boats that have "bags", for a lack of a better word, that they put their boards in but I am not finding any of these available through West or any other chandlery. The "bag" would be somewhat flat and permanently attached in the cockpit.

Lori

Hi Lori,

From my experience most of the time the weather is on the calmer side and we do not have the boards in most of the time. So it would terribly inconvenient to have them in the cockpit when not in use because that is most of the time. Most of the time we keep the boards in their designated place under the stairs because the weather does not require them to be place most of the time. We do have a pin attached to the companionway frame with a cable that we can use to pin the first or second board in heavy weather.

I'm not understanding why you have set up the boards permanently for heavy weather with a permanent attachment that does not allow you to store them inside.

Jules

Jules
It is a requirement for us to have them permanently fastened. Having said that, it is just a screw to "unfasten" them. Thanks
Lori

Hi Lori,

The language I am seeing about hatch board requirements is;

A boat's companionway(s) shall be capable of being blocked off to main
deck level. The method of blocking should be solid watertight and
rigidly secured, if not permanent.

Is this the yacht club or race requirement you are referring to ?

If so it does not say the boards must be permanently attached.

The standard IP configuration with the removable pin attached by a cable to the companion way meets
this requirement.

Jules

Could you folks add photos? Sounds very different when compared to our 350.

Hopefully these pictures will help. We are circumnavigating with the world cruising club and they want the boards to be attached permanently. So......my question is, is there a bag/sleeve I can store at least the top two boards in while underway when we don't need them in place?

Thank you
Lori

perhaps if you put the lanyard on the inside and attached it to the stairs. And make the lanyard long enough so you can put the boards in their place under the stairs when not in use, then you would not need to find a way to store them in the cockpit.

Great Idea.....Thanks.
Lori