I have a Catalina 27 this is my first season and have been in the water for about a month. On the shores of lake erie this is great. However I am noticing that when It rains I get really wet down below. I did not realize that it was the companion way boards untill I washed my boat. I had wet cushions and puddles. (I just recovered my two aft berth cushions.) Is there an easy way of stopping this proplem. I am posting this under General do to the fact this has got to be a more universal problem. Thanks Skip
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Companionway boards backwards?
The companionway boards should be cut with a taper where they fit together sloping downwards towards the outside of the boat. If you put them in the other way they will leak water. Also if there are vent holes in the boards the wind may drive rain through the vent holes....you can cover them with a sunbrella cover but the lack of air movement below creates a mildew farm. A dodger will likely solve this problem if you want to invest in it.
The companionway boards should be cut with a taper where they fit together sloping downwards towards the outside of the boat. If you put them in the other way they will leak water. Also if there are vent holes in the boards the wind may drive rain through the vent holes....you can cover them with a sunbrella cover but the lack of air movement below creates a mildew farm. A dodger will likely solve this problem if you want to invest in it.
They do leak
Living here in the world headquarters of rain, I can tell you that companionway hatch boards do leak. Usually, you'd only notice it if you turn a hose on them or something, as moderate rain won't get through. However, if you don't have a dodger, and/or if your boat is situated in a slip where rain comes right at the boards, it will get through. The simplest and cheapest answer is to get a canvas or sunbrella hatchboard cover that snaps to top and covers the companionway. This keeps water from seeping through the small gaps between boards.
Living here in the world headquarters of rain, I can tell you that companionway hatch boards do leak. Usually, you'd only notice it if you turn a hose on them or something, as moderate rain won't get through. However, if you don't have a dodger, and/or if your boat is situated in a slip where rain comes right at the boards, it will get through. The simplest and cheapest answer is to get a canvas or sunbrella hatchboard cover that snaps to top and covers the companionway. This keeps water from seeping through the small gaps between boards.
Leaky deaky!
I have a 27 and feel your pain. I also had the added problem of boards that are 27 years old and have been chipped/broken/etc. This past fall I mixed up an epoxy/wood dust mixture & molded the corners that were chipped off. This helped tremendously but I'm still getting a good leakage. Phil's suggestion of a Sunbrella cover for the companionway will be the cheapest way to go but you could also look at replacing the boards with those nifty, if spendy, door units. You can check 'em out in the "chandlery" on this site. I think they're about $200 for out boat but they are friggin' KEWL!!! I wish I had 2 bills to spare.
LaDonna
I have a 27 and feel your pain. I also had the added problem of boards that are 27 years old and have been chipped/broken/etc. This past fall I mixed up an epoxy/wood dust mixture & molded the corners that were chipped off. This helped tremendously but I'm still getting a good leakage. Phil's suggestion of a Sunbrella cover for the companionway will be the cheapest way to go but you could also look at replacing the boards with those nifty, if spendy, door units. You can check 'em out in the "chandlery" on this site. I think they're about $200 for out boat but they are friggin' KEWL!!! I wish I had 2 bills to spare.
LaDonnaHatch Boards
Oun our old 1978 C25 we had the same issue. Instead of buying doors, or boards from Catalina,I just made them. Using the old ones as a template it wasn't to bad. If you have a table saw it's only a few hour job. I stained and varnished and they looked great. We found part of the problem is that we needed to make sure the hatch was pulled all the way closed, so that the hatch boards were fully covered. This helped also. Hope this helps.
Oun our old 1978 C25 we had the same issue. Instead of buying doors, or boards from Catalina,I just made them. Using the old ones as a template it wasn't to bad. If you have a table saw it's only a few hour job. I stained and varnished and they looked great. We found part of the problem is that we needed to make sure the hatch was pulled all the way closed, so that the hatch boards were fully covered. This helped also. Hope this helps.
If you do the doors look at this.
We have store bought doors on our 95 H26 and love them. They let in light and are great to get in out of the rain and cold just by pulling a knob and then closing with the other knob. But.. our doors have a 3 1/2" board accross the bottom thus raising the step over required to enter and it has a 1 1/2" board on the top to strengthen and hold the door frame to the required width for the doors to close. We always remove this upper board first thing when we board the boat so you can walk down the steps standing up. The doors work find without it. I would remove or buy different doors to get rid of the lower board as it only needs to be 3/4 to 1" at max. Both doors lift off the hinges in a second for summer use and the whole frame and door assy. removes in 2 seconds for complete lower access. They are a must for cold, wet sailing days. Ray
We have store bought doors on our 95 H26 and love them. They let in light and are great to get in out of the rain and cold just by pulling a knob and then closing with the other knob. But.. our doors have a 3 1/2" board accross the bottom thus raising the step over required to enter and it has a 1 1/2" board on the top to strengthen and hold the door frame to the required width for the doors to close. We always remove this upper board first thing when we board the boat so you can walk down the steps standing up. The doors work find without it. I would remove or buy different doors to get rid of the lower board as it only needs to be 3/4 to 1" at max. Both doors lift off the hinges in a second for summer use and the whole frame and door assy. removes in 2 seconds for complete lower access. They are a must for cold, wet sailing days. Ray
Made up a new set
I had a similar problem with the hatch boards on my 1978 H-27. The old boards were teak covered plywood and were a real disaster. I bought 10" x 1" white oak and glued up panels the approx size of the old boards. Then I used the old boards as a template to cut out the boards to the correct shape. Then I used a shaper on my table saw to taper the edges so the boards would fit into the track. I made sure that the edges of the boards were cut on an angle so rain would drain out not in. Since the boards are solid oak I cut a 1"x1/2" slats and glued and screwed these to the back of the board to prevent warping. I then sanded, stained to match the teak and sealed with 3 coats of marine polyeurthane (boy I can't spell). They look great, I get compliments all the time. The total job took about 6 hours and $75.00 for the wood and stain and sealer. Hope this helps.....
I had a similar problem with the hatch boards on my 1978 H-27. The old boards were teak covered plywood and were a real disaster. I bought 10" x 1" white oak and glued up panels the approx size of the old boards. Then I used the old boards as a template to cut out the boards to the correct shape. Then I used a shaper on my table saw to taper the edges so the boards would fit into the track. I made sure that the edges of the boards were cut on an angle so rain would drain out not in. Since the boards are solid oak I cut a 1"x1/2" slats and glued and screwed these to the back of the board to prevent warping. I then sanded, stained to match the teak and sealed with 3 coats of marine polyeurthane (boy I can't spell). They look great, I get compliments all the time. The total job took about 6 hours and $75.00 for the wood and stain and sealer. Hope this helps.....
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