What material should I use for new hatch?

[kenf1111]

Hi, I have to replace the "Hatch door" or panels that slide in runners and allow the top pc to slide over and lock up entry to cabin..
What would be the best material to use for this replacement? Teak?
(There are 2 pcs, a lower "pc" and an "upper pc" that matches lower configuration. matl is roughly 1/2" thk. the side facing the cabin was shellaced or coated with poly... the original pcs were made of laminated plywood and needs replacement. I figure I can use them as templates and make new ones..
Any help would be appreciated.. Thx..
Ken

[crazycarl]

if your referring to the drop boards that go into the companionway, i'd use marine plywood.  teak would look the nicest, but $$$.  If your good with wood, you could purchase "burmese teak", which isn't really teak, but does stand up to the elements quite well.  Glue it up properly and cut to fit.  menards sells it for decking.  it's also quite heavy, and very hard.  i used on our last boat and it looked great.

carl

[Toolman]

I found a bundle of 1/2" teak flooring (tongue and groove) on ebay and have used it for several projects, including a set of hatch boards in which my chart plotter is set, and a rack for binnoculars and one for my handheld vhf.  Easy to work with if you have a table saw, and pretty reasonably priced.

[newt]

I have seen good drop boards from teak, solid hardwood and even lexan. I would probably stay with plywood as it is the lightest and you will lifting them in and out alot. Mine are over 12 years old and do great as long as I keep them varnished.

[Salty19]

You could also use 1/2" "starboard".  It will last forever.  But it's heavy, so be aware of that! The main advantage is maintenance is practically nil. Just clean it with Soft Scrub with bleach and a magic eraser each season.

With that said,  plywood is probably the cheapest and easiest way to go.  Just varnish it real well every few years and it should last 10-15 years, maybe longer. Stain it first if you want to match the rest of the brightwork.

Here's a pic of the starboard hatch. Not very salty, I admit.

[wes]

Ken - I replaced my drop board this year, and opted to buy it from Hutchins. For the 19 and 23, the teak plywood board is $75. If you have just gotten a big tax refund and are feeling flush, they also offer a solid teak version for $351. Either way it will be cut to size, sanded, edges rounded, ready to install except for varnish. I went with the plywood, and thought it was a good deal compared to finding a source for marine grade teak plywood and doing the cutting and trimming.

Fyi, the factory replacement drop boards come in one piece. Sounds like a previous owner has cut yours into two sections (upper and lower) which is a pretty common modification. You'd have to do that yourself.

- Wes

[doug]

For a relatively small fee, the factory will cut the board allowing an upper and lower piece to the hatch. It's been a couple of years since I ordered mine so I don't recall the exact price. I did find that all hatches must not be the same as the board sent to me required some trimming (better to trim than to be to small).

[skip1930]

My replacement drop board hatch was simple the sheet of plywood that the stern pulpit was bolted to for UPS shipping years ago. I made a paper template from the factory hatch and traced it onto the plywood, cut her in half on a 45 to shed water and for better below deck storage. White on the inside and varnish on the outside. Also painted the slider white on the inside instead of the factory grey.

skip.

[shamblin]

did you consi9der using plexiglas?    adds a feeling of roomness to the cabin.

[SpeakEasy]

Ken, I did this very project last year on my 23. I had thought I'd get marine plywood, but when I got a look at the visual quality of it I opted against it. I went with okoume, which as I understand it, is a variety of African mahogany. It's plywood, it's totally marine "quality," but the visual is absolutely stunning. It's more pricey than marine plywood, of course, but we're not talking about a lot of wood here. I finished it with two coats of West Systems e-poxy sealant and then five coats of spar polyurethane. I think it's practically indestructable.

-Speak

[skip1930]

" using Plexiglas? " Kind of thin. Kind of rattles. And one piece is hard to stow-a-way. I cut my ply on a 45 deg to shed water. Two pieces can be slid behind the birth's cushions on either side down below.

Cut me a new set of drop boards every couple of years. Still have the old factory one for a pattern.

skip.

[Saluki86]

Speakeasy,

You don't happen to have a photo of your okoume hatch, do you?  I would be interested in seeing it.

thanks,
sal

[SpeakEasy]

Hmmm.

No, but you've given me a good excuse to go down to the boat tomorrow. I'll get you one!

-SPeak

[SpeakEasy]

Well, I'm TOTALLY frustrated trying to post an image here. wtf. So here's a link that may take you to my image in picassa.

https://picasaweb.google.com/jschwar7/May62012?authuser=0&feat=directlink