waybad

[Waybad]

I am replacing my framing of my wash boards in my hatch. It was angled at about 4 to 5 degrees in a square opening. I still want a small taper but am not sure if a two degree angle would be enough to avoid sticking hatch boards.
The angle was orginaly formed buy a thin cut teak wedge and then framed around. would prefer somthing stonger. Any sugestion or advice would be appreciated.
Thanking you in advance, first time user of site.
Wayne

 

[PaulK]

It might be best to build the framing to fit the opening out of the heavy-duty material you want and then rout out a groove for the hatch boards to slip into. The angle will make a difference in "stickiness", but you can always sand the ends of the boards or lubricate the groove to help them slip more easily. Even parallel ends should work, theoretically. The angle makes it easier to disengage the board from the opening: you don't have to lift the entire board clear of the whole groove before it can be moved out of the way.

 

[kendall]

Can also cut a groove in the ends of the boards and insert a strip of nylon or other plastic in them so the plastic is just proud of the wood. It reduces the chance of boards sticking and prevents wood on wood contact so varnish lasts longer

 

[Bill Roosa]

The smaller angle is critical only if you can't/don't want to lift the boards all the way to the top. My experience is that it is a real pain with the smaller angles as once you start to lift them you have to maintain that "pull them straight up" process for a longer distance, on a rolling boat....... they end up getting stuck sideways a lot.
The wedge does not support the boards proper, the frame should do that. The wedge only sees a compressive load so as long as it has a backing to the boat structure it can be pretty flimsy.