Companionway hinges

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Jun 25, 2009
542
Hunter 33 Seabrooke, Houston
I am upgrading from 4 wood planks ( used to be 3, one broke in half) to 2 doors on the companionway
The kind of hinges where you lift the doors up and they slip out from the vertical hinges... where do I get those?
Couldn't find them on the places I looked
Also, are the dimensions the same on all Hunter 33's, from '79-83?
If yes, I would love some dimensions and pics so I can copy
Thanks

P.S. I just saw one photo under " modifications', will see if the same
 
Jul 7, 2009
252
Beneteau First 405 Myrtle Beach, S.C.
Here is my favorite stainless shop. Hinges are 17.00. He always has free shipping.

www.marinepartdepot.com

His ebay store has specials also but you pay shipping so it ends up the same.



 
Jun 5, 2010
1,123
Hunter 25 Burlington NJ
The ones Jose suggests are nice but WAY overkill. I have those on my foredeck hatch. You can substitute a padlock in one of the pin holes for security and otherwise remove the hatch cover completely.

The ones from Hardware Resource look horrendously flimsy. The gauge of metal appears too light. Also be sure they are REALLY stainless steel and not plated steel or plated brass (such as what HoDePot will offer). Neither of those platings will last one season without tarnish or metallurgical weakening.

I do like using Seadog-brand stuff; it is all well-made and it's pretty and inexpensive into the bargain.

For the companionway doors find what is known as a 'motorbox hinge', two leaves with two holes each, one with a pin and one with a socket. They come in left-hand and right hand; for matched doors you need one pair each way. Seadog have them.

With these the door can be removed by opening it all the way up (hence unlocking it first) and lifting it off. If the pair of hinges do not come with pins of different lengths be sure to grind one shorter or it will be a nightmare putting the door back on each time.

I am using these on my head door which is in the athwartships bulkhead and during racing gets horribly in the way of people moving forward. Also it makes a nice picnic table!

A word of caution-- make a second set of 'storm doors' with which you can replace the cute louvered ones. The cute louvered doors will NOT survive heavy weather or an even mildly determined burglar. I wouldn't keep the louvered ones on unless I were aboard the boat. I have a single panel with a venting window in it (like that on a Cherubini 44) but not for leaving the boat or in heavy weather, for which the ONLY prudent solution is solid-wood weatherboards such as what the boats all came with.
 
Jun 25, 2009
542
Hunter 33 Seabrooke, Houston
Hinges

The ones Jose suggests are nice but WAY overkill. I have those on my foredeck hatch. You can substitute a padlock in one of the pin holes for security and otherwise remove the hatch cover completely.

The ones from Hardware Resource look horrendously flimsy. The gauge of metal appears too light. Also be sure they are REALLY stainless steel and not plated steel or plated brass (such as what HoDePot will offer). Neither of those platings will last one season without tarnish or metallurgical weakening.

I do like using Seadog-brand stuff; it is all well-made and it's pretty and inexpensive into the bargain.

For the companionway doors find what is known as a 'motorbox hinge', two leaves with two holes each, one with a pin and one with a socket. They come in left-hand and right hand; for matched doors you need one pair each way. Seadog have them.

With these the door can be removed by opening it all the way up (hence unlocking it first) and lifting it off. If the pair of hinges do not come with pins of different lengths be sure to grind one shorter or it will be a nightmare putting the door back on each time.

I am using these on my head door which is in the athwartships bulkhead and during racing gets horribly in the way of people moving forward. Also it makes a nice picnic table!

A word of caution-- make a second set of 'storm doors' with which you can replace the cute louvered ones. The cute louvered doors will NOT survive heavy weather or an even mildly determined burglar. I wouldn't keep the louvered ones on unless I were aboard the boat. I have a single panel with a venting window in it (like that on a Cherubini 44) but not for leaving the boat or in heavy weather, for which the ONLY prudent solution is solid-wood weatherboards such as what the boats all came with.
Diana,
You have a link for those hinges?
 
Jun 2, 2004
5,802
Hunter 37-cutter, '79 41 23' 30"N 82 33' 20"W--------Huron, OH
Jorge, here are four pages of "Sea-Dog" hinges: http://www.sea-dog.com/categories/hinges?page=1 . Pages 3 and 4 are where the "take apart" hinges can be found. Or on the left you can select the five take-apart hinges.

Note that "DianaOfBurlington" is the name of a Cherubini H25. The author is John Cherubini II.
 
Jun 5, 2010
1,123
Hunter 25 Burlington NJ
Sea Dog typically only deals with wholesale accounts. But their part numbers are spoken everywhere. Any decent boatyard chandelry will deal with a supplier who deals with Sea Dog. I get them through my cousin's yard (Cherubini Yachts, who deal with MESCO in south NJ). The best thing about Sea Dog is that their prices are so low that dealing through middlemen is not harmful to your deal. When compared to Perko (which I never buy) the cost is like 33%.

Defender also stocks Sea Dog product. The Sea Dog web site allows you to find local retailers.

The captive West Marine brand is also a good bargain, especially in all-stainless parts. Their motorbox hinges are decent and cheap. Avoid plastic-- it fatigues in the sun. Avoid chrome-plated brass and chrome-plated 'alloy' as the chrome plating is not metalurgically compatible with the basic metal-- the plating will part ways from it in no time-- and it's not strong.
 
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