Hi all! It's me again, considering yet another crazy modification to my J/30.

When I had my cushions redone (yet to be installed) I opted for single-piece cushions for the main settee. This will be far more aesthetic and comfortable, but has the drawback of making access to the two plastic storage bins difficult.

While considering this problem I came up with a crazy plan - why not remove the bins entirely, and cut holes in the vertical walls under the berths to permit access to the space. I could mount teak doors on hinges.

What do you guys think? Has anyone tried something like this or looked at solving the same problem?

Not a real good idea. That vertical wall provides some fore and aft stiffness. The boat won't fall apart if you cut them, but I think you would want to maintain structural integrity.

I've done a lot of sailing on friends' boats with one piece cushions and they really didn't seem to impede access unless someone's already sitting there. I've also sailed on a Catalina with doors as you proposed and THOSE were a pain to access stuff in. Keep the bins and don't worry about the cushions.
Doug

I will definitely try the bins under the cushions before I make any modifications.

As for the structural concern, though, I think I could easily address that by bonding a frame made of G10 to the back of the vertical wall to enhance the rigidity.

Bins keep things dry...

Those "walls" are the stringers in the original design. I don't know that the J30 really needs them, but they were part of the structural design.