Companionway door

May 8, 2014
4
Catalina 30 Irvington, VA
Any advise or plans for DIY project to build a companionway door for our Catalina 30.
Thks
 
Sep 25, 2008
30
Catalina 30 Lake Murray Sailing Club
I have a 1987 C 30. I ordered doors from John at Zarcor at the Annapolis Boat Show. I asked him to customize the doors where they will fold against the cabin instead of against the seat. By doing so, the doors fold back 180 degrees instead of 90 degrees. I feel I will not lose the 10" seating space when doors are open and will not grab the top of the doors as I leave the cabin to the cockpit. Installing next week, and will post pictures. I did a "dry fit", it looks like it will work out great.
 
Feb 5, 2012
183
Catalina 1990 Catalina 30 Mark II Harbor Island Yacht Club, Old Hickory Lake, Nashville, TN
Ouch that seems like a lot of boat bucks! So around $1,400 with screens and shipping? There has to be a cheaper way??
I don't remember paying that much, but I may have... probably tried to forget how much I paid... :)

But having said that: they fit perfectly. The 2 tinted plexiglass panels slide up and out of the way, revealing the screens behind them; when we go out on the boat and stay the night, we remove the plexiglass and stow it, and get a nice breeze through the boat.

Also, he spent quite a while putting several coats of varnish on the teak, and it shows; I was thrilled with how well they fit in the companionway.

Here's a photo I took just after finishing the installation, which took about an hour.
 

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Sep 25, 2008
30
Catalina 30 Lake Murray Sailing Club
I paid around $900 for the zarcor doors, I think. They have you tube installations guides as well. They have some cool ways to install that I did not consider.
It's worth the look.
Lew
 
Nov 18, 2010
2,441
Catalina 310 Hingham, MA
The price on the Zarcor doors is a little better but it's still a lot. As we get closer to leaving I find myself weighing everything in terms of how long could I cruise on the cost of that item. We are still talking at close to a month of cruising for the cost of the doors.

I also see a couple of things I don't like about each of the different types. For instance, longterm it looks like the plexiglass inserts go in from the outside. So if someone wanted they could just remove the insert, push in the screen and get into your boat. Obviously it would have to be a skinny person. Also, how do they do with rain? Do they leak at all?

And on Zarcor ones, you are left with part of the hinges on the door when you remove them. We would still keep the boards for rough weather or offshore passages like the Mona Passage. So I don't really like that style either. Longterm, are yours removable? If so, how?

I like the idea of making my own so I don't have these two problems. But I haven't found a great example of what I want yet. I would definitely like some windows (tinted) that could be removed for screens. I also would like to be able to remove the doors when we want to use the boards. Looking for ideas if anyone has some.

Jesse
 
Feb 5, 2012
183
Catalina 1990 Catalina 30 Mark II Harbor Island Yacht Club, Old Hickory Lake, Nashville, TN
it looks like the plexiglass inserts go in from the outside. So if someone wanted they could just remove the insert, push in the screen and get into your boat. Obviously it would have to be a skinny person. Also, how do they do with rain? Do they leak at all?
No, they can't be removed; they're on the outside to prevent leakage. They're kept in place by Allen screws that are set from the inside--screw them in and they go into the wood, allowing you to slide the panels out. Screw them out and they prevent anyone from removing the panels.

Longterm, are yours removable? If so, how?
Yes, they are; the doors lift off the hinges. When locked you can't raise the doors so they can't be removed while the companionway cover is closed.

I would definitely like some windows (tinted) that could be removed for screens. I also would like to be able to remove the doors when we want to use the boards.
Some of what you want is in the doors that I have; you *could* use boards if you wanted to, only I don't know why you ever would. The plexi is tinted, the screens behind fairly transparent from inside the boat.

I certainly could never have made doors that fit this well; another C30 owner made some for his boat, out of white plastic, so that he never has to paint; he's also going to remove all the teak from the outside of his boat... not my style at all. I prefer to keep my teak varnished and looking great.
 
May 7, 2011
205
Catalina 30 Lake Lanier
I created a set of doors for our 1985 Catalina 30. [See my PINTREST page for plans]

They are made of White Oak ($80 vs $700 for Teak) and have removable panels, one set clear for light and the other opaque for privacy. A screen set could also be made if desired. The panels fit in a 1/4" rabbet on the inside of the window opening and the top rail is actually two separate rails to allow the panels to slide between. Each door is attached via half-hinges to a piece that is screwed into the slot the hatch boards occupied. The windows have weep holes along the bottom edge so they won't leak in a rain. The batten protects the middle and the sides have 1/8 silicon weather stripping.

I would not recommend the PVC 'Lumber' for this type of project.
 

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Feb 14, 2017
2,037
Catalina 310 211 Lake Guntersville, AL
Nice job @OS2Dude any chance you could post those files here vs having to sign up for Instagram to see them.
 
Oct 11, 2019
27
Catalina 30TRBS New Bern
Any advise or plans for DIY project to build a companionway door for our Catalina 30.
Thks
check out "Jim Holmes Sailing" on YouTube. he did some on a ranger 23 and did a nice video of the thought and build process. I'd do some but my teak is in very good shape...