I need to replace my hatch boards and wondering what kind of wood I should use and a approx. price. It is a H23 wingkeel. Thanks Jason "Slapshot"
- Status
Order them suckers thru HOw Chandlrey
Yup, yo can det them that suckers thru the Chandlrey. If not contact Hunter and ask for Mike Thomas. If you do speak to that rascal, ask him what he thinks of moonshine. Crazy
Yup, yo can det them that suckers thru the Chandlrey. If not contact Hunter and ask for Mike Thomas. If you do speak to that rascal, ask him what he thinks of moonshine. Crazy
Hatch Boards
Make your own out of 1/2 inch marine grade plywood either teak or mahogony faced. If you have access to a table saw, it should be easy. Use the old ones as a pattern. Lee Merri-Lee
Make your own out of 1/2 inch marine grade plywood either teak or mahogony faced. If you have access to a table saw, it should be easy. Use the old ones as a pattern. Lee Merri-Lee
agree with Lee
I did exactly what Lee recommended last year and had a lot of success. I used the old boards as a template and then finished with a stain and marine grade polyurethane. Not sure I would poly again due to the UV damage from last summer...teak oil seems to be the best finish. (make sure the lumber is marine grade, and that the space b/w the hatch and the traveler drains sufficiently, otherwise the boards will suffer some water damage as I learned last season.) Brian kickin' back
I did exactly what Lee recommended last year and had a lot of success. I used the old boards as a template and then finished with a stain and marine grade polyurethane. Not sure I would poly again due to the UV damage from last summer...teak oil seems to be the best finish. (make sure the lumber is marine grade, and that the space b/w the hatch and the traveler drains sufficiently, otherwise the boards will suffer some water damage as I learned last season.) Brian kickin' back
If you are going to make them yourself...
Jason: If you are going to make them yourself, consider using plexiglass for the bottom slat. This will prevent water from rotting it out. I personally do not like all plexiglass because they are so heavy (just my preference). If you make them out of solid wood, they will hold up better than plywood of any type.
Jason: If you are going to make them yourself, consider using plexiglass for the bottom slat. This will prevent water from rotting it out. I personally do not like all plexiglass because they are so heavy (just my preference). If you make them out of solid wood, they will hold up better than plywood of any type.
hatch boards
Do yourself a favor, call Hunter Marine, I think mine were in the 40 dollar range, I have made them in the past and since have made a set with screens for ventilation , some people prefer star board , which I have no experience with, so If cost is the issure call Hunter, if you enjoy making things from wood and experience the satisfaction of making things your self, then make your own, good luck Mike
Do yourself a favor, call Hunter Marine, I think mine were in the 40 dollar range, I have made them in the past and since have made a set with screens for ventilation , some people prefer star board , which I have no experience with, so If cost is the issure call Hunter, if you enjoy making things from wood and experience the satisfaction of making things your self, then make your own, good luck Mike
Try making your own
I made a set about 4 years ago using a combination plexiglass and plyood. The plexiglass was screwed on as an outer cover for the plywood and to reduce maintenance. The inside was then varnished. As an added bonus, I was also able to create "windows" into the plywood section before screwing on the plexiglass. The entire project was completed using the old hatches as templates, hand saw and small plane, screws and silcone. The biggest problem was getting the angle where the two halves of the hatch met. However, My solution was to screw on a strip of 1"X 1" to the inside top portion of the bottom hatch to prevent leaks into the cabin. On a scale of 1-10, I will rate this project a 3 in difficulty. Just remember that the combination of the plywood and plexiglass cannot be thicker than the grove to slide the hatch into.
I made a set about 4 years ago using a combination plexiglass and plyood. The plexiglass was screwed on as an outer cover for the plywood and to reduce maintenance. The inside was then varnished. As an added bonus, I was also able to create "windows" into the plywood section before screwing on the plexiglass. The entire project was completed using the old hatches as templates, hand saw and small plane, screws and silcone. The biggest problem was getting the angle where the two halves of the hatch met. However, My solution was to screw on a strip of 1"X 1" to the inside top portion of the bottom hatch to prevent leaks into the cabin. On a scale of 1-10, I will rate this project a 3 in difficulty. Just remember that the combination of the plywood and plexiglass cannot be thicker than the grove to slide the hatch into.
plexi hatchboards
All of my hatchboards are medium tinted plexi...not as dark as the windows...no real maintenance, brightens up a dark interior...just have to be a little careful about scratching them.... =)
All of my hatchboards are medium tinted plexi...not as dark as the windows...no real maintenance, brightens up a dark interior...just have to be a little careful about scratching them.... =)
angle cuts
Anyone can make those hatch covers out of anything but most often, I see where the homemade ones fail to have the angle cuts upwards to deter water. Unless you have the knowhow, tools and materials, then again I suggest Hunter Marine as they are not all that expensive. Crazy Dave Condon
Anyone can make those hatch covers out of anything but most often, I see where the homemade ones fail to have the angle cuts upwards to deter water. Unless you have the knowhow, tools and materials, then again I suggest Hunter Marine as they are not all that expensive. Crazy Dave Condon
horrible hatches
Horrible Hatches Have you ever wondered in a boat yard or marina and noticed that there was a lot of nice “good old boats” with ugly hatch boards? It seems at least half are made out of plywood. Some still have the original boards and have been painted umpteen times and look like they were ripped off the back of someone’s garage. Of course the new boats have nice boards with their teak frames and or smoked plexi inserts, but where could you find them and if you did, could you afford them? Well, I did find a nice set of vertical (saloon type) doors offered by Teak concepts, but again we’re talking over $250. If you’ve got the cabbage go for them, if not, let’s consider some home made options. If the original boards are framed teak, they might be salvageable and make for an easy upgrade. I recently took a badly weathered set from a C-22 and modified the center section making a window. A large non-portable, belt sander machine is a great time saver when it comes to restoring badly weathered boards. After sanding all three sections thoroughly, I took the center section and cut out a window using a table saw. If the original boards are not salvageable, consider making new ones. First, I decided to use mahogany in place of teak. For me it’s cheaper and easier to find with similar characteristics, which make it a good wood for a boat environment. I also like the smoked plexi window, which offers some privacy but still letting some light in. Let’s face it, Arnold just wouldn’t have been the Terminator with out his shades! Another thing that was important to me was the ability to remove the plexi and have a screened window remaining. My first attempt at hatch boards was for our first Catalina 22 (member of the sailboat hall of fame). I used the 4 old hatch boards as a template, and proceeded to frame out 2 horizontal “drop in” windows. I drilled and installed dowels to reinforce the corners. I then routed a step in the exterior for the plexi. The bottom unit was not screened and I screwed the plexi to the frame with small SS wood screws. The top window plexi was held in place by plastic cams that rotated. (See the picture). I was not too worried about security because even though someone could rotate the cams and lift out the plexi window, they would then have to cut through the screen, and then squeeze themselves through a rather small opening. I’ve always said, “Locks are for honest people. If someone wants to break in to my boat, unremovable windows will not stop him or her. The screening turned out to be fairly simple. I ran the boards through the table saw with the blade up just enough to cut a grove. If the groove wasn’t wide enough I’d move the fence a little and take a second cut. The screen material was cut a little oversized and then laid on top of the frame. I then pushed surgical tubing down on the screen and into the slot. This procedure seemed to work quite well and if done carefully, can give a nice tight screen. Be sure to keep the weave horizontal and vertical. Whether you make the drop in board type or the vertical “saloon” type, I can think of few things that will dress up an old boat more and be accomplished in only a few sessions in the wood shop, than a nice set of hatch boards! Don Bodemann
Horrible Hatches Have you ever wondered in a boat yard or marina and noticed that there was a lot of nice “good old boats” with ugly hatch boards? It seems at least half are made out of plywood. Some still have the original boards and have been painted umpteen times and look like they were ripped off the back of someone’s garage. Of course the new boats have nice boards with their teak frames and or smoked plexi inserts, but where could you find them and if you did, could you afford them? Well, I did find a nice set of vertical (saloon type) doors offered by Teak concepts, but again we’re talking over $250. If you’ve got the cabbage go for them, if not, let’s consider some home made options. If the original boards are framed teak, they might be salvageable and make for an easy upgrade. I recently took a badly weathered set from a C-22 and modified the center section making a window. A large non-portable, belt sander machine is a great time saver when it comes to restoring badly weathered boards. After sanding all three sections thoroughly, I took the center section and cut out a window using a table saw. If the original boards are not salvageable, consider making new ones. First, I decided to use mahogany in place of teak. For me it’s cheaper and easier to find with similar characteristics, which make it a good wood for a boat environment. I also like the smoked plexi window, which offers some privacy but still letting some light in. Let’s face it, Arnold just wouldn’t have been the Terminator with out his shades! Another thing that was important to me was the ability to remove the plexi and have a screened window remaining. My first attempt at hatch boards was for our first Catalina 22 (member of the sailboat hall of fame). I used the 4 old hatch boards as a template, and proceeded to frame out 2 horizontal “drop in” windows. I drilled and installed dowels to reinforce the corners. I then routed a step in the exterior for the plexi. The bottom unit was not screened and I screwed the plexi to the frame with small SS wood screws. The top window plexi was held in place by plastic cams that rotated. (See the picture). I was not too worried about security because even though someone could rotate the cams and lift out the plexi window, they would then have to cut through the screen, and then squeeze themselves through a rather small opening. I’ve always said, “Locks are for honest people. If someone wants to break in to my boat, unremovable windows will not stop him or her. The screening turned out to be fairly simple. I ran the boards through the table saw with the blade up just enough to cut a grove. If the groove wasn’t wide enough I’d move the fence a little and take a second cut. The screen material was cut a little oversized and then laid on top of the frame. I then pushed surgical tubing down on the screen and into the slot. This procedure seemed to work quite well and if done carefully, can give a nice tight screen. Be sure to keep the weave horizontal and vertical. Whether you make the drop in board type or the vertical “saloon” type, I can think of few things that will dress up an old boat more and be accomplished in only a few sessions in the wood shop, than a nice set of hatch boards! Don Bodemann
Attachments
Or go vertical
Thanks Dennis, Here is another article while we're talking hatches: A while ago I did an article on building new hatch boards. As a couple of weekend and summer cruisers, we enjoy having attractive hatch boards that are also screened and tinted, windows. Quite a few folks have a replacement drop in window and in some cases a drop in screen, all this in addition to their original boards that they still use for securing the boat. Cruisers typically have a problem with storage so as cruisers; we wanted one hatch/door that would do everything. We wanted some light in, but yet still offer a degree of privacy. We also wanted fresh air for those hot muggy nights, but also have the ability to close up for weather, and for those times when you need the hatch in place but are frequently going in and out, the vertical saloon type doors seemed to be the ticket. I decided to take a shot at building vertical type doors for our 1977 Hunter 33 that would meet all of our criteria. These doors are ideal for boats that have a recessed hatch opening or in other words an aisle before the hatch opening. When open, the doors can lay against the walls of the aisle as opposed to sticking out into the cockpit. Building replacement drop boards is fairly easy but this type of door is quite a bit more challenging as the fit is critical. As usual, I chose mahogany because for me at least, it is more readily available than teak (and cheaper). I started by measuring across the top and bottom of the opening followed by measuring the height in at least two locations (either side and middle). Armed with these specs, I headed for the old wood shop. I allowed an eighth of an inch clearance for each side as well as the center, so three eights was subtracted from the total width measurements (top and bottom). These measurements were then cut in half to make the two doors. I used one-inch thick mahogany that we planed down to approx seven eighths. After final sanding, the doors are close to three quarters of an inch thick. For approximate dimensions of the doors for our 1977 H-33 refer to the drawing. I might point out that the width of the pieces is not critical because the lexan windows will be shaped to fit. Only the outer dimensions of each door is important because they need to fit nicely in the hatch opening. Note the tops are taller than the bottoms to allow for cutting the arch to fit the contour of our sliding hatch. Building the doors is simply like assembling a picture frame (non-mitered), but because of the taper, getting precise angle cuts is important to achieve good glue joints. After all four sidepieces and all four tops and bottoms (two tops and two bottoms) are cut and test fitted, I glued and clamped both assemblies. When the glue is dry, I simple, drilled deep three eighths inch holes, and glued in dowel pins (see drawing) to add strength to the joints. After the doors are glued up, doweled, and dry, I sanded all faces and sides, being careful not to go overboard, especially on the inside face. This surface must remain flat to “seal” against the outer runner that the old pin boards slide in. With everything sanded, the next step was to route a step in the exterior face (window opening) to accommodate the quarter inch thick “smoked” Lexan. This step is a lot easier than it looks, just route a quarter inch step around the inside perimeter. Actually, the quarter inch should be the exact depth of your Lexan, so check your plastic and adjust the depth of your router so the plastic will be flush with the surface of the doors. Quarter by what you say? Make the step one quarter inch deep by approx three eights of an inch, what ever size router you have that’s close to three eights of an inch, should work fine. The Lexan will be cut and sanded to fit this “step”. Now I decided to tackle the screen part of the doors. I decided I would make the smoked Lexan, removable and therefore the screens could be permanent. The best and easiest way I know to build a screen, is to run all sides of the interior faces of both doors through the table saw with the blade sticking up approx one eight of an inch. This will make a grove that will accept the screen piping. If your saw blade is not wide enough, move the fence a little and run them all through a second time, (or use a “dado” blade). These grooves should be at least a quarter of an inch from the window opening. This process leaves you with cuts on the interior face that look like a tick, tack, toe game. The “over-run” part of the cuts can now be filled with small strips of wood, glued, and when dry, sanded flush. Test fit the screen material and piping and then set it aside until after finishing for the final assembly There are several ways to secure the plastic windows that come to mind. What I chose was to cut a small strip of lexan (same material the windows are made of) that I screwed to the top of the window opening creating a lip that the window would slide up under. To hold the bottom and sides in, I made spring-loaded “L” fingers that hold the window in tight. The stem of the fingers sticks out on the inside with a nice little small knob. To remove or install the Lexan window, you just push in on the knobs and rotate a quarter turn. The fingers are made of one-eighth inch brass rod bent in the shape of an “L”. See drawing. To mount the doors on the boat, I placed eighth inch spacers between the doors and then taped them together. Then using similar spacers, I positioned the doors in the opening tight against the outer runner that the old boards slide in (yes, this means we can still use the old boards if we so desire). I used the West Marine Stainless “Take-Apart” hinges to mount the doors. This way, when not cruising and the boat is resting in it’s slip, we can use the old hatch boards and store the nice doors where they will stay nice. When we go for a cruise, we can leave the old hatch boards in the trunk of our car. My doors reside under the dodger, so weather-tightness is not too much of a concern, but for those that might not have a dodger, a groove could be cut on the edge of the door and a strip of rubber inserted that would swipe/seal against the edge of the other door. A film/gasket of silicone sealer could be applied to the step that the Lexan seals against. It should be allowed to dry however, before installing the Lexan windows…we don’t want to glue them in! I believe most cruisers would be surprised (as we were) at how convenient it is, to have this type of hatch/door. This project has truly made our good old boat …even better
Thanks Dennis, Here is another article while we're talking hatches: A while ago I did an article on building new hatch boards. As a couple of weekend and summer cruisers, we enjoy having attractive hatch boards that are also screened and tinted, windows. Quite a few folks have a replacement drop in window and in some cases a drop in screen, all this in addition to their original boards that they still use for securing the boat. Cruisers typically have a problem with storage so as cruisers; we wanted one hatch/door that would do everything. We wanted some light in, but yet still offer a degree of privacy. We also wanted fresh air for those hot muggy nights, but also have the ability to close up for weather, and for those times when you need the hatch in place but are frequently going in and out, the vertical saloon type doors seemed to be the ticket. I decided to take a shot at building vertical type doors for our 1977 Hunter 33 that would meet all of our criteria. These doors are ideal for boats that have a recessed hatch opening or in other words an aisle before the hatch opening. When open, the doors can lay against the walls of the aisle as opposed to sticking out into the cockpit. Building replacement drop boards is fairly easy but this type of door is quite a bit more challenging as the fit is critical. As usual, I chose mahogany because for me at least, it is more readily available than teak (and cheaper). I started by measuring across the top and bottom of the opening followed by measuring the height in at least two locations (either side and middle). Armed with these specs, I headed for the old wood shop. I allowed an eighth of an inch clearance for each side as well as the center, so three eights was subtracted from the total width measurements (top and bottom). These measurements were then cut in half to make the two doors. I used one-inch thick mahogany that we planed down to approx seven eighths. After final sanding, the doors are close to three quarters of an inch thick. For approximate dimensions of the doors for our 1977 H-33 refer to the drawing. I might point out that the width of the pieces is not critical because the lexan windows will be shaped to fit. Only the outer dimensions of each door is important because they need to fit nicely in the hatch opening. Note the tops are taller than the bottoms to allow for cutting the arch to fit the contour of our sliding hatch. Building the doors is simply like assembling a picture frame (non-mitered), but because of the taper, getting precise angle cuts is important to achieve good glue joints. After all four sidepieces and all four tops and bottoms (two tops and two bottoms) are cut and test fitted, I glued and clamped both assemblies. When the glue is dry, I simple, drilled deep three eighths inch holes, and glued in dowel pins (see drawing) to add strength to the joints. After the doors are glued up, doweled, and dry, I sanded all faces and sides, being careful not to go overboard, especially on the inside face. This surface must remain flat to “seal” against the outer runner that the old pin boards slide in. With everything sanded, the next step was to route a step in the exterior face (window opening) to accommodate the quarter inch thick “smoked” Lexan. This step is a lot easier than it looks, just route a quarter inch step around the inside perimeter. Actually, the quarter inch should be the exact depth of your Lexan, so check your plastic and adjust the depth of your router so the plastic will be flush with the surface of the doors. Quarter by what you say? Make the step one quarter inch deep by approx three eights of an inch, what ever size router you have that’s close to three eights of an inch, should work fine. The Lexan will be cut and sanded to fit this “step”. Now I decided to tackle the screen part of the doors. I decided I would make the smoked Lexan, removable and therefore the screens could be permanent. The best and easiest way I know to build a screen, is to run all sides of the interior faces of both doors through the table saw with the blade sticking up approx one eight of an inch. This will make a grove that will accept the screen piping. If your saw blade is not wide enough, move the fence a little and run them all through a second time, (or use a “dado” blade). These grooves should be at least a quarter of an inch from the window opening. This process leaves you with cuts on the interior face that look like a tick, tack, toe game. The “over-run” part of the cuts can now be filled with small strips of wood, glued, and when dry, sanded flush. Test fit the screen material and piping and then set it aside until after finishing for the final assembly There are several ways to secure the plastic windows that come to mind. What I chose was to cut a small strip of lexan (same material the windows are made of) that I screwed to the top of the window opening creating a lip that the window would slide up under. To hold the bottom and sides in, I made spring-loaded “L” fingers that hold the window in tight. The stem of the fingers sticks out on the inside with a nice little small knob. To remove or install the Lexan window, you just push in on the knobs and rotate a quarter turn. The fingers are made of one-eighth inch brass rod bent in the shape of an “L”. See drawing. To mount the doors on the boat, I placed eighth inch spacers between the doors and then taped them together. Then using similar spacers, I positioned the doors in the opening tight against the outer runner that the old boards slide in (yes, this means we can still use the old boards if we so desire). I used the West Marine Stainless “Take-Apart” hinges to mount the doors. This way, when not cruising and the boat is resting in it’s slip, we can use the old hatch boards and store the nice doors where they will stay nice. When we go for a cruise, we can leave the old hatch boards in the trunk of our car. My doors reside under the dodger, so weather-tightness is not too much of a concern, but for those that might not have a dodger, a groove could be cut on the edge of the door and a strip of rubber inserted that would swipe/seal against the edge of the other door. A film/gasket of silicone sealer could be applied to the step that the Lexan seals against. It should be allowed to dry however, before installing the Lexan windows…we don’t want to glue them in! I believe most cruisers would be surprised (as we were) at how convenient it is, to have this type of hatch/door. This project has truly made our good old boat …even better
Attachments
Drawing for vertical doors
For those that are interested, I mentioned a drawing in the previous post. Here it is. Any questions on these doors, I'd be glad to answer. I made them 2 years ago and they have been great.
For those that are interested, I mentioned a drawing in the previous post. Here it is. Any questions on these doors, I'd be glad to answer. I made them 2 years ago and they have been great.
Attachments
Hunter Hatch Boards non-existant
My phone call to the parts dept and scanning through the Chandelry (sp) said Hunter no longer sells hatch boards. I found a local who will make a set for my 23.5, using 100% teak, not teak covered plywood, for $6.50/ board foot. This guy works at the Pensacola shipyard, and will do the cutting and you do the sanding, cetol, etc. Happy to give you name and phone # if interested, but he needs your boards for a template
My phone call to the parts dept and scanning through the Chandelry (sp) said Hunter no longer sells hatch boards. I found a local who will make a set for my 23.5, using 100% teak, not teak covered plywood, for $6.50/ board foot. This guy works at the Pensacola shipyard, and will do the cutting and you do the sanding, cetol, etc. Happy to give you name and phone # if interested, but he needs your boards for a template
Try some epoxy while you're at it
I got new boards a year ago and the lower one is already showing signs of distress thanks to the poor drainage between the cabin bulkhead and traveler track. When it rains, the bottom of the lower board sits in water. This past weekend, I took the board, sanded it lightly and painted the bottom 2 inches with epoxy (Epiglass) and varnished the rest. That should solve the water problem. Peter H23 "Raven"
I got new boards a year ago and the lower one is already showing signs of distress thanks to the poor drainage between the cabin bulkhead and traveler track. When it rains, the bottom of the lower board sits in water. This past weekend, I took the board, sanded it lightly and painted the bottom 2 inches with epoxy (Epiglass) and varnished the rest. That should solve the water problem. Peter H23 "Raven"
Peter, that is why.....
Peter: That is why I recommend that you make them (or have them make) from plexiglass. Especially the bottom board. I also like the top one made from plastic for security purposes.
Peter: That is why I recommend that you make them (or have them make) from plexiglass. Especially the bottom board. I also like the top one made from plastic for security purposes.
Not vertical?
Don the boards you have made, or should I say doors look fantastic! The only problem I have with them over slide in horizontal boards is that if you are in rough seas and you wish to leave the doors open and you get hit with a wave without warning then there is the chance that you may just fill up your yacht. With the horizontal boards you can at least leave one or two in and still get easy access to the cabin without the worry of a wave flling her. Hope I don't sound too negative but from experiance this is what I have seen.
Don the boards you have made, or should I say doors look fantastic! The only problem I have with them over slide in horizontal boards is that if you are in rough seas and you wish to leave the doors open and you get hit with a wave without warning then there is the chance that you may just fill up your yacht. With the horizontal boards you can at least leave one or two in and still get easy access to the cabin without the worry of a wave flling her. Hope I don't sound too negative but from experiance this is what I have seen.
Marks answer
Mark, Remember this post was originaly for a 23. I believe most of us are not blue water sailors and spend the vast majority of the time sailing in fair weather on lakes and bays...and at the dock with a cold one in our hand. If you recall, my design allowed for using the drop in boards if heavy seas are anticipated/encountered. You are right though, the vertical doors will not keep out a large wave. When I sail in the ocean, I keep the drop in boards on hand if things get rough. For the other 99.9% of the time, the vertical doors are wonderful! Hope this answers your concern Don
Mark, Remember this post was originaly for a 23. I believe most of us are not blue water sailors and spend the vast majority of the time sailing in fair weather on lakes and bays...and at the dock with a cold one in our hand. If you recall, my design allowed for using the drop in boards if heavy seas are anticipated/encountered. You are right though, the vertical doors will not keep out a large wave. When I sail in the ocean, I keep the drop in boards on hand if things get rough. For the other 99.9% of the time, the vertical doors are wonderful! Hope this answers your concern Don
man this thread got long
I got one for you all. I saw a boat coming into another boat yard once. It was one of the wooden special design types. It needed hatch boards definitely. It also needed a new cabin top as you could look right into the cabin. Alot of water in there. Never knew what happenned to it, but I did say use it as a funeral pyre for transporting something to Val Hala. Crazy Dave Condon
I got one for you all. I saw a boat coming into another boat yard once. It was one of the wooden special design types. It needed hatch boards definitely. It also needed a new cabin top as you could look right into the cabin. Alot of water in there. Never knew what happenned to it, but I did say use it as a funeral pyre for transporting something to Val Hala. Crazy Dave Condon
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