need ideas for ...screened companionway doors?

MitchM

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Jan 20, 2005
1,011
Nauticat 321 pilothouse 32 Erie PA
so : the boat has a pair of OEM permanently-mounted non - removable lockable fold - in Lexan doors that swing inward to store and cannot be removed. I can't modify those doors with screens . i have been using soft screen fabric with sunbrella edges and wooden dowels to cover the hatch and drop down over the companionway, which contraption props precariously on the top of the companionway . this contraption gets pulled down by the dog every time something interesting happens in the cockpit or surrounding two miles of waterways ( which is a lot.) so i am getting a round to trying to make some wooden removable doors. ideas so far are: i have pull -apart removable stainless hinges to mount on the face of the companionway to receive the doors . (to remove, you'd lift doors off.) two doors, will have metal screens fixed in place which screens are held onto the door frame perhaps by strips of wood with s screening fabric pressed in to a routed out groove with a screen tool? ( I bought some screen fabric, but unhappy with how it sags so i may have to go with a metal screen. ) ideas for the vertical space between the two doors to make it bug proof? ideas for the wood ? (not teak, too expensive and would wreck my router and saws. ) ideas for the finish on the doors? this area is weather protected by full dodger and bimini. i have a few months till the water unfreezes...
 
Mar 3, 2003
710
Hunter 356 Grand Rivers
Look at doors made by Zarcor. They are made with starboard and have inserts of plexiglass or screens. If you have slides for a normal companionway hatchboard they work with them allowing both systems if needed due to sea conditions. The inserts slide in from the top with a removable metal band that keeps them in place. We've had them for a lot of years and they are great.
 
Jun 11, 2011
1,243
Hunter 41 Lewes
There was a company at the Annapolis show that had doors that slid into the gap created by the open original doors and were a simple wooden frame with a screen. When you wanted to secure the companion way you stow the slide in screen and close the original doors. If I can find the card I will PM you the site.
 

Gunni

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Mar 16, 2010
5,937
Beneteau 411 Oceanis Annapolis
You do not want to modify those doors by cutting holes in them, they protect you from boarding seas if you ever find yourself out in the big stuff.

If you are ready to buy quality craftsmanship you will find none better than the products from Glebe Creek Screenworks. Swinging doors that lock into the companionway and offer removable plexiglass over screens. Quality fit and finish by an American small business craftsman. Their joinery work is a thing of beauty. Great hatch screens too.

http://www.boatscreens.com/gallery.htm
 
Jun 11, 2011
1,243
Hunter 41 Lewes
Gunni, I think that is the guy I saw at Annapolis, he can make a frame that fits in the slot created by the companionway doors being open and the companionway frame. It just slides down in and gives you a screen. The OEM door stays. It was pretty cool. I swear I have his card somewhere around. ;)
 

MitchM

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Jan 20, 2005
1,011
Nauticat 321 pilothouse 32 Erie PA
Gunni , thanks for your thoughts. i have no intention of modifying the eexisting doors as this is a Class A ocean rated boat per Lloyd's and a mod of the doors would destroy its rating . the design of the companionway with t eh lean doors folded in prohibits the typical glebe design. I did contact Glebe Creek , having seen their teak doors at the Annap boat show . I was dismayed by the $1300 cost of 2 doors in teak and the difficulty of guaranteeing a good fit. i need a removable set of doors , not a 3 part companionway 'triple door ' drop in trapezoid arrangement or an inward folding set of wooden doors as they will not fold in where the lean doors already are. when one would open the s standard Glebe design, the 2 doors opening outward would block access to the drop down table on the pedestal. the 2 doors opening inward would block the pedestal table . i worked with glebe for a bit and gave up. that's why i intend to put my minimal woodworking skills to work on a cherry / mahogany/ cedar set of doors.... removable with the expensive stainless hinge set i treated my self to from Lee Valley.
 

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Oct 22, 2014
20,993
CAL 35 Cruiser #21 moored EVERETT WA
i have been using soft screen fabric with sunbrella edges and wooden dowels to cover the hatch and drop down over the companionway,
Re examining your post, it looks like you had a workable system that was disturbed by the "Man's best Friend". I wonder if there are classes or restraints or kennels that could solve the problem at the source?;)
 
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Jan 19, 2010
1,169
Catalina 34 Casco Bay
Can to change out the hinges with gudgeon pin type hinge. Open the hatch and lift it off. Then made a screen hatch to put in it's place. Back to the other hatch when needed. These are the type of pivot used to hold rudders on a transom. Good luck
 
Jun 23, 2013
271
Beneteau 373 Newport
We went another way.
Screen sections for our cockpit enclosure - zip in to replace the side (2), aft center and fwd center dodger panel. Also great combo for our trip down the ICW. Chilly mornings = "hot house ", us in tshirts, others in sweatshirts. Also comfortable cocktails or sleep in cockpit
 
Sep 20, 2014
1,320
Rob Legg RL24 Chain O'Lakes
While you want real doors or hatch boards for storm protection, you could buy a magnetic screen door and permanently mount it along the out sides. The magnets would seal the center. They are designed to flop closed, so it should make it easy enough to use.
 
Oct 19, 2017
7,732
O'Day 19 Littleton, NH
Mitch,
Did you ever make new hatches? I would love to see what you came up with for a solution. I just got done making new hatch boards for my mariner 19. I'm a woodworker and artist so I embellished them a little with wood burning. I know this post is a bit old, I was just looking for more ideas.
Thanks
 

capta

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Jun 4, 2009
4,766
Pearson 530 Admiralty Bay, Bequia SVG
I absolutely hate trying to store big, framed hatch screens. I cut a piece of mosquito netting to cover the companionway hatch and aft down to the cockpit floor. Then I sewed a bit of scrap 3/4" braided line all the way around. On top each side lays in the channel for the companionway hatch and over the hatch forward. The back just drapes down over hatch opening into the cockpit. The line is heavy enough to hold the screen in place and it's easy to set from inside or out.
 
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Likes: Rick D
Oct 19, 2017
7,732
O'Day 19 Littleton, NH
Capta,
Do you have a pic? I'm thinking of adding several deadports to my boards in the form of cutout bottle bottoms for light but, I like the idea that my hatch could work the way my storm windows work. In the Summer they slide together and a screen remains over the open half but in the Winter the storms cover both top and bottom halves. Basically, I think the ideal would be some sort of convertible all-in-one unit. That means I don't have to store separate components. A fold-away or roll-away screen would be fine if it is easy to move in and out through.
My new boards have become a show piece of sorts because I realized that the companionway is at the very center of my boat and front and center to the cockpit where all my friends would sit when aboard. I like the idea that the hatch then acts like the painting over my maritime livingroom fireplace.
Maybe something louvered?
My boards are made of solid Spanish red cedar so they are very light weight. I could add a lot before they weighted what a mahogany or teak hatch would weigh. I have a commission to do a set out of mahogany plywood, there is a considerable difference in weight. The commission is in three pieces to make it easier to handle. it's a trade-off, three lighter pieces or two larger ones. Fortunately my boat is small.
- Will (Dragonfly)
 

CarlN

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Jan 4, 2009
603
Ketch 55 Bristol, RI
We had some simple custom aluminum frame screens made for about $50 each that just rest against the hatch frame. Bugs aren't very smart so just make the screen overlap the hatch a bit. Instead of making one big screen we divided it into three parts so it's easy to stow. This also let us deal with sides that were not quite parallel. I use a few bits of masking tape to keep it from blowing over. The tape will restick about 6 open and close cycles until I need another 1" of tape. Because the frame is so slim, it lets a lot of air through. Haven't broken in four years. Get the "pet safe" heavier screening. I think this was the place: http://windowscreensnow.com/index.p...MIxsak7JWF1wIVSAeGCh02kQVMEAAYAyAAEgLWO_D_BwE