Acrylic to replace wood

[william24424]

1/4" grey see-through acrylic to replace rotted wood divider in aft cabin. Wood divided fender locker & hot water heater from cabin. My thought was acrylic wouldn't rot and I could inspect locker, through hull fittings, hoses, & hot water heater ect., without the gymnastics,contortionism, or colorful language. Your thoughts?

 

[FastOlson]

Probably best store that panel for the next owner someday who may have a differing esthetic in mind. No harm otherwise. Would he thickness you have in mind be rigid enough to match the spec's of the existing panel?

 

[dmax]

Acrylic will be a bit heavy but the transparency is a bonus - you could use pvc sheet (like Azek) which would be lighter and cheaper - maybe put a window in it.

 

[dLj]

What are all the functions the panel needs to do?

1) Any structural requirements? (Doesn't seem to be much more than a space separator but you need to answer this)
2) Water barrier? (Think about wet items inside the locker weeping water through - if it needs to be sealed, how well does this material play with the interfaces it seals against)
3) Impact requirements? (Things banging around and hitting this panel)
4) Aesthetic requirements? (Only you can answer this one)
5) Need to remove at some point for...whatever...
6) Long term survival - corrosion, abrasion, etc....

You can use any material you want if it performs all functions it needs to do....

From what I can see - an acrylic panel should work fine - just be sure to think about all functions it may actually need to perform.

dj

p.s. forgot smells - does it have to separate smelly areas from non...

 

[william24424]

No structural requirements
No water barrier, water goes from locker into bilge from holes under water heater
Aft cabin is primarily used for spinnaker and blanket storage (we mostly sleep in front or salon)
Moving acrylic sheet is same as plywood
Sheet is lighter in weight than wood, it's also thinner, however would be strong enough to prevent fender from slamming through
....Smells, haven't thought about that, I'm thinking it will cover similar to plywood, yet I was thinking about more air should prevent mildew in locker.

 

[william24424]

Regarding boat smells....I've had drips before and depending on the source of the leak, I had to tighten fittings, and at times, replaced hoses. Either way diesel drip added to the stuffing box drip can make for a stinking aft cabin, I wipe underneath the engine after a long sail, it's seldom bone dry, those absorbant sheets work well for a few weeks then need to be replaced.

 

[Ralph Johnstone]

Either way diesel drip added to the stuffing box drip can make for a stinking aft cabin,

I can think of nothing more unacceptable that a diesel leak. Deal with then immediately if/when they appear. It's not something you live with.

 

[pgandw]

My main hatch on my 19ft Mariner has 1/4" plexiglass (perhaps a different smoked clear material) panels instead of wood (made by previous owner). 3 plexiglass panels instead of 2 wood ones, so weight is reasonable. Middle plexiglass panel has stainless steel vents installed, I added screen under the vents. This helps with ventilation. All 3 vents have sanded outer surface to avoid looky-loos seeing inside cabin, but still lets light in. I'm pretty happy with them - especially the lack of maintenance compared to wood boards. No leakage at the seams, very sturdy.

Fred W
Stuart Mariner 19 #4133 Sweet P

 

[Project_Mayhem]

If you move forward with this, I'd suggest oversized holes with washers or rubber grommets plus some gasketing around the edges. This prevents cracking when the hull bends and twists

 

[Hayden Watson]

I can think of nothing more unacceptable that a diesel leak. Deal with then immediately if/when they appear. It's not something you live with.

I agree totally. I cannot tolerate any raw diesel smell in the boat. I once had my old Arctic diesel heater malfunction, and it sprayed fine atomized diesel into the heater ducting to cabin which coated every surface with a mist of fuel. The boat reeked an I could not stand to be below.

I sent the heater out to be repaired to solve the source of the problem. I took everything off the boat that could be removed and washed it. I then used my small electric pressure washer and starting at the cabin top, pressure washed ever surface from hatch to bilge with soap and rinse. Once the interior was smelling good, I worked on the bits that had been removed. All fabrics when through the washer. The foam was cleaned by a heavy spray of "no scent" Febreze and then placed in a garbage bag. I then sucked all of the air out of the foam by inserting the hose of my shop vac into the neck of the bag. I than sprayed more Febreze into the bag opening as the foam refilled with air. This pulled the Febreze into every cell of the open cell foam. I have found that Febreze does an excellent job of getting rid of diesel smell.

Lot of work but for me, the alternative was getting rid of the boat.

 

[william24424]

This is a great reminder, thanks RJ/HW. this preseason, before any diesel drip may or may not arrive, I'm going to run engine with paper towels tucked in any possible leak area and below engine, check that rubber o-ring from yanmar filter, washers, ect. Any drop is too much. I'm doing lots of upgrades, (needed or not) in the off season for a shiny clean boat. Even replaced compass.