Companionway hatch improvements....

As you have seen I am attempting to rid TIH of any teak on deck.  I like teak but I don't like maintaining it.   The sliding turtle companionway hatches were is pretty poor shape and need replacing. From previous posts you can see that I came up with a solution and I was pretty happy with it.  Then along came Ebay and provided a SS sliding companionway hatch.  It was too wide but a trip to Samuel the welder took care of that.   If anyone is familiar with Hylas yachts, it is identical to the ones they use.  I'm pretty sure they are made in-house and not available off the shelf.

I took the opportunity to replace and rebed the aluminum side tracks that hold the hatch to the deck.

Once everything is setup I will bed 1/2" Plexiglass to the frame.

I used Plasteak for the front of the drop hatch.

New drop hatch will also be plexiglass.

And yes, the screws will be countersunk and plugged.

Sliding companionway hatch.....finally!

Aft sliding companionway hatch design finally completed and ready to be bolted down. The forward cross bar will obviously be removed. I know it's not to everyone's taste but it ties in with my no teak on deck concept. Existing forward hatch shown for comparison. That will also be replaced with a sliding Perspex hatch.

We do it right because we do it twice..........

That is definitely my motto and probably should be the motto for most marine maintenance outfits.

I've been playing with the main companionway hatch for some time.  TIH came with the standard teak turtle hatch which is;
a. heavy,
b. requires maintenance,
c. is in pretty poor state.

I plan to swap it out for a Acrylic hatch (1/2" bronze translucent).  I have had real problems locating a suitable aluminum extrusion and have finally decided that they aren't available.  See this nice example from my friends Hunter 30;

Instead I'm following Rob's (Re-building a Westsail 42) example and using 80/20 extrusion.

Plan A;
T slot aluminum extrusion (#1003) and UHMW Bifold Hanger Profile was a bust due to excessive friction and I've moved on to;

Plan B
T slot aluminum extrusion (#1003) and T Slot Aluminum Linear Bearing (#6426).  So far its looking promising.

Vacuum Bagging 2, success at least by my standards...

Top of hatch, which passed the 200lb Irishman jump test. 

Underneath.  The sides were well formed.

Slight build up or resin in the corner but not a major issue.

Good enough edge.

Vacuum Bagging, voyage into the unknown....

Look for results tomorrow;

I like KISS solutions......

Keep it Simple Stupid has pride of place on any boat, IMHO.  It might not always seem so from some of my projects but I do try. 

The lenses of most deck hatches will eventually craze in the tropical sun.  In an effort to slow the process we tend to cover them with canvas covers.  I have never found these to be long lasting (even with sunbrella) or particularly user friendly.  Then along came the Outland Brothers;

http://outlandhatchcovers.com/index.htm

KISS

The little black dots on the top of each are twist lock fasteners which allow easy removal of the covers.


I have no link with the company but I like stuff that does what it says on the tin.

The one hour boat project.....

We all know about those, "it'll just take an hour or so" and three days later the boat is torn apart. I have been stewing over the deck hatches since I bought the boat (two year now). I had discounted the Hood hatches and considered refurbishing the Atkins Hoyle ones. I later discounted AH based on cost and future availability of parts. I then bought a Lewmar size 60 Ocean hatch with a flange base. I still deferred the job as I dreaded tackling the goop that held the old hatch to the deck.

While waiting for the paint to dry in the saloon and to escape the fumes I decided to give the hatches another go. More poking at the sealant and a brief attack with the Fein cutting blade proved inconclusive. I decided to try a small chisel as a wedge, with no great expectations. A few half hearted sucking sounds (from the silicon, not me) the damn thing popped off. 30 mins later the second hatch was off.

The Lewmar 60 fitted right in to the Saloon opening. The V-Berth opening will need about a .5 inch increase all round. Bloody boats.

Too hot to work.......

In Miami, you know you are in trouble when people talk of the temperature cooling DOWN to 87 Deg F. Where I come from that's 30 Deg C. On the the very rare occasions that happens in Ireland we lock ourselves in the back of Pubs and worry about the end of days. Sheep spontaneously combust and the government bans the watering of lawns.

Onboard TIH 87 Deg F. means that I sit on a chair under the A/C and plan things.

The boat came with three brand new shiny Hood hatches, still in their cartons. Fabulous, just pop out the old ones and in with the new. Something else I won't have to buy.

An early attempt on the old saloon hatch proved inconclusive. The screws came out, but the bedding compound resisted all attempts at removing it. No problem, defer for a while.

Looking at the old hatches again today, got me thinking. They are Atkins & Hoyle (two are XR200 one smaller one). While the Lexan and gasket is shot the hatch body is perfect, if just a little oxidized. So we are on to plan B, refurbish the existing hatches. Anyone want to buy some very nice Hood hatches???


Hood hatch -

H6530-50-1

19 1/2" X 19 1/2" (495mm x 495mm)