anyone make their own companionway screens?

[Charlie Jones s/v Tehani]

Funny thing here.

The very first add for the SailBoatowners.com Chandlery on the main page of this forum, is for companionway and hatch screens, and no one has mentioned them so far.

Curious eh?

 

[capta]

Funny thing here.

The very first add for the SailBoatowners.com Chandlery on the main page of this forum, is for companionway and hatch screens, and no one has mentioned them so far.

Curious eh?

Have you checked out the prices on those? I got exactly the same results w/ a bit of screen, an old sheet and a 1/2 hour of my time, for my companionway.

 

[seadaddler]

Sailrite

This forum does sell one here for sure.
But I used the Sailrite free video how to make one,I made mine very different than what they made but used the how to do from the video for sewing with home machine and did buy everything needed to make my 2 piece cover for keeping the sun from shining into the cabin.
All boats are different and so sailrite has a lot of info how to make canvas covers and I may add a screen to my cover like they did in the video and it was our first try at making canvas cover and adding snaps to hold the cover over our company way,we were leaving florida to go north with out the boat and did a rush job but it came out pretty good and it was my wifes very first try at sewing heavy canvas and she really did not do much sewing either.
I showed her the video and I ordered what we needed and she did the sewing with some goof ups but it came out pretty good,I had gotten a Price of around $200 or $250 and talked my wife into trying it.
Nick

 

[topcat0399]

Have you checked out the prices on those? I got exactly the same results w/ a bit of screen, an old sheet and a 1/2 hour of my time, for my companionway.

I'm going to mod ours a little more using some variation of your method.
If it took you 1/2 hour it'll take me 3 hours for sure.

I'll brave the Admirals wrath when I cut up her old sheets ...

 

[BobT]

Our first weekend one the new old boat included a stop at the hardware store for three 3/4" dowels and about 6 feet of 32" wide fiberglass screen. (I had some Gorilla brand duct tape on hand.)It rolls up nicely and is heavy enough to stay on duty all night. If it gets too breezy for that, the bugs aren't likely to be a problem.

 

[capta]

I'm going to mod ours a little more using some variation of your method.
If it took you 1/2 hour it'll take me 3 hours for sure.

I'll brave the Admirals wrath when I cut up her old sheets ...

No, no, not bed sheets, sail sheets. Or any rope/line heavy enough to keep the bug screen in place around the hatch.
You get a reprieve from the admiral's wrath. Lucky day.

 

[topcat0399]

No, no, not bed sheets, sail sheets. Or any rope/line heavy enough to keep the bug screen in place around the hatch.
You get a reprieve from the admiral's wrath. Lucky day.

I can't believe you fell for that old salt.

Sorry - I should've included a

 

[lippysyd]

We have the sheet of screen with pressure rods top and bottom on our hatch, but it's kind of fussy. Hopefully hubby will get to making doors this year. But a friend gave us the fabric from a screen tent (the frame had broken) that's maybe 10x10. It had a channel built in to hold water to weigh it down. When that sprung a leak, I just threaded a chain through it instead. We attach the peak to a halyard to raise it, then drape it over the bimini and hatch. Cheaper than building walls for the bimini.

I also bought a baby stroller mosquito net, cut the elastic off and rolled the edge, sewing split shots inside. We just toss it over the forward hatch. Cost me maybe $10.

 

[Steve Dion]

We had the local window shop make one out of an aluminum frame for our H'31.

If you have rounded corners like many of the Hunters, you can leave the bottom board in place or cut a piece of wood to accommodate the bottom portion too.

http://www.amazon.com/CRL-Adjustabl...N0Q/ref=dp_top_cm_cr_acr_txt?showViewpoints=1

 

[nautikaljeeper]

This has worked really well with our boat. No fasteners to drill just slide in existing tracks for the hatch boards. We have this made in both canvas and screen material. The material used to slide in the tracks is what secures dodgers to the cabin top.

 

[ssamac]

Many times. I used 1/4" common plywood with at least one side clear. Took my hatchboards out and laid it on the plywood to make the pattern and cut out 2 pieces
Note: I did not cut out each hatchboard. I cut the full hatch with all 3 pieces together.
I used a protractor to mark the width of the frame. I did 2" wide but you could probably make it narrower. I think I did one 1 1/2 and was just as strong.

Sanded and finished with spar varnish. Rounded the edges out all around both inside and outside of the frame on the second one so it looks/slides nicer with the sander. Rounded the outside corners just a little too.
Last one I made I cut two big windows so I had a horizontal support bar which protects the screen and keeps from sagging. Doesn't change the air flow.

Then I got some fiberglass screen cloth, a yard will do, and laid it on the boards and cut it out. put some 3M spray adhesive on one side to hold it in place and then used some 3/8" stainless or bronze screws with beveled heads countersunk to hold the 2 sides together. Sandwich style.
Slide it right into the hatch track and you're good to go. Lasts forever. Never had to change the screen. You can add a hasp ring if you want to lock it down with the slider hasp, Just measure and make sure you cut out the top wide enough to set the ring far enough down.
ssamac

 

[RECESS]

We have screens that we made from Wedding vale material. The mesh is fine enough to keep no see ums out. I also have a large wedding vale screen that I sewed the ends onto a rope after looping them around it. This allows me to lay it over the companion way with it completely open. When I go outside I just have to lift it, and it lays right back down.

Most of the time we anchor far enough out there are no bugs.

 

[Nom De Guerre]

One of my POs made a set of screened hatch boards and overhead slider boards out of low density wood. They are just simple lapped frames with cutouts for glued on screening, edges of screening covered with wood finish strips. The dimensions would have been simple to come up with as they match the solid boards/slider.

They look great and work even better. I love them. Can add some pics if you like, just need to search 'em up first.

 

[Nom De Guerre]

Here are the pics, finally made it down to the boat.

 

[Apex]

nicely done Norm! Woodwork looks great. We have a screen made from fabric and the mesh, rolls up when not in use.

 

[Rick Webb]

My Simple Approach

I used 3/8" dowels to make the frame and connected the dowels with vinyl tubing. then stretched some nylon screen across the frame cut, marked and sewed pockets. the whole thing disassemble and stores in almost no space at all.

 

[Nom De Guerre]

nicely done Norm! Woodwork looks great. We have a screen made from fabric and the mesh, rolls up when not in use.

Agreed, but I can't take credit. Just sharing what came with the boat.

 

[shanker]

Check out this thread, some good ideas.

http://forums.hunter.sailboatowners.com/showthread.php?p=893089&highlight=companionway screen