I need to replace my hatchboards and am thinking of making new ones from tinted plexiglass like the sliding hatch cover, but I'm thinking they might be a bit heavy. Does anyone have any sugggestions or comments?
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Ward Niffenegger
Not that heavy
Plastic hatch boards will certainly weigh a lot more than plywood, but they still aren't going to be very heavy. Here are some options you might think about. 1) Make the hatch boards out of 1/4 inch plexiglass and put a teak frame around them that slides into your grooves. Saves weight and cost and gives it a unique look. Requires some wood working skills to make a picture frame around your hatch boards. 2) Use the 1/2 inch plexiglass and cut them into 3 equal hatch boards rather than the two you currently have. Cuts the weight down for each piece, but you have to handle 3 pieces. Bigger boats have three 3) If you use plexiglass, make sure you bevel or rabbet the edges where the two hatches fit together so you have some sort of overlap. Otherwise they will leak into the cabin during a rain. Good luck Ward
Plastic hatch boards will certainly weigh a lot more than plywood, but they still aren't going to be very heavy. Here are some options you might think about. 1) Make the hatch boards out of 1/4 inch plexiglass and put a teak frame around them that slides into your grooves. Saves weight and cost and gives it a unique look. Requires some wood working skills to make a picture frame around your hatch boards. 2) Use the 1/2 inch plexiglass and cut them into 3 equal hatch boards rather than the two you currently have. Cuts the weight down for each piece, but you have to handle 3 pieces. Bigger boats have three 3) If you use plexiglass, make sure you bevel or rabbet the edges where the two hatches fit together so you have some sort of overlap. Otherwise they will leak into the cabin during a rain. Good luck Ward
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mikeepp
Walnut
Previous owner made new boards for my boat from walnut. He made 3 pieces and beveled the edges to slope outward keeping dripping water out of the cabin. Makes a nice job, although the smoked plexiglass sounds nice too and maintainence free!
Previous owner made new boards for my boat from walnut. He made 3 pieces and beveled the edges to slope outward keeping dripping water out of the cabin. Makes a nice job, although the smoked plexiglass sounds nice too and maintainence free!
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hp
Good Old Boat article
There is an article in Good Old Boat magazine....this past November issue about hatch board construction. If you're interested, I can e-mail it to you. Just e-mail me your request. sailbode@gis.net
There is an article in Good Old Boat magazine....this past November issue about hatch board construction. If you're interested, I can e-mail it to you. Just e-mail me your request. sailbode@gis.net
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Crazy Dave Condon
boards
I would use plexigalass. What ever you do, maake sure the boards are cut in a fashion that the cuts are upwards so water cannot run into the cabin crazy DAve
I would use plexigalass. What ever you do, maake sure the boards are cut in a fashion that the cuts are upwards so water cannot run into the cabin crazy DAve
A
a. glasson
I did
I replaced mine last year. They are not too heavy. Be sure to trim the edges, as thet become very sharp after cutting.
I replaced mine last year. They are not too heavy. Be sure to trim the edges, as thet become very sharp after cutting.
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Dan
Hatch boards
I am going to make some new boards for mine soon. I am going to make some spare hatch boards from starboard plastic that I got from a local plastics company. I am also considering tinted plexiglass type hatch boards made by laminating 2 or 3 thinner (less expensive) sheets or scratch resistant plastics with the scratch resistant stuff over the cheaper scratch prone smoked plexiglass. This may be my answer for a new sliding hatch as well. Has anyone else tried any of these solutions that can give some tips or comments? My boat is actually a Hunter 22. Thanks, Dan
I am going to make some new boards for mine soon. I am going to make some spare hatch boards from starboard plastic that I got from a local plastics company. I am also considering tinted plexiglass type hatch boards made by laminating 2 or 3 thinner (less expensive) sheets or scratch resistant plastics with the scratch resistant stuff over the cheaper scratch prone smoked plexiglass. This may be my answer for a new sliding hatch as well. Has anyone else tried any of these solutions that can give some tips or comments? My boat is actually a Hunter 22. Thanks, Dan
J
John Thomas
Hatchboard update
Thanks to everyone for their responses. I have done some further investigating on this matter and as it turns out it is not as simple as I thought it would be. First there is the problem of finding the material. I am hoping to use 3/8 or 1/2 inch smoked plexiglass for this project, but I have had a great deal of difficulty find a small piece of the stuff. I have been able to find full 4 x 8 sheets of 3/8 for over $200. I found someone else who is going to check to see if they might have some scraps in their warehouse. in the meantime I have spoken with an expert on plexiglass and they seem to think that Lexan might be better to use, although it is harder to work with. It is stonger and more scratch resistant than plexiglass. Also the tinting is evidently not as dark (which makes me wonder what the sliding hatch is made from). The next question is how to form the joint if I make the boards 2 or 3 pieces (which I undoubtedly will). If it is just angled or mitered then the "boards" might slip in front of one another. The same is true if they are "rabited". Obviously the best joint is a tongue and groove type, but this could be very hard to do. I had thought of the idea of laminating 2 thinner sheets of plexiglass together but I have not come up with a good way to do that. What would you use for a laminate? Any more thoughts?
Thanks to everyone for their responses. I have done some further investigating on this matter and as it turns out it is not as simple as I thought it would be. First there is the problem of finding the material. I am hoping to use 3/8 or 1/2 inch smoked plexiglass for this project, but I have had a great deal of difficulty find a small piece of the stuff. I have been able to find full 4 x 8 sheets of 3/8 for over $200. I found someone else who is going to check to see if they might have some scraps in their warehouse. in the meantime I have spoken with an expert on plexiglass and they seem to think that Lexan might be better to use, although it is harder to work with. It is stonger and more scratch resistant than plexiglass. Also the tinting is evidently not as dark (which makes me wonder what the sliding hatch is made from). The next question is how to form the joint if I make the boards 2 or 3 pieces (which I undoubtedly will). If it is just angled or mitered then the "boards" might slip in front of one another. The same is true if they are "rabited". Obviously the best joint is a tongue and groove type, but this could be very hard to do. I had thought of the idea of laminating 2 thinner sheets of plexiglass together but I have not come up with a good way to do that. What would you use for a laminate? Any more thoughts?
Hunter!
John: Contact Hunter. They should be able to sell you a piece that can be cut or may be able to cut it for you.
John: Contact Hunter. They should be able to sell you a piece that can be cut or may be able to cut it for you.
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