hatch boards

[jb]

thinking about cutting the hatch board in halves for easier handling and storage, any disadvantages or things that I should be aware before I make the cut??

jb

[Craig]

If you do make the cut make it at an angle so that water drains from the joint to the outside and cannot be driven into the cabin.  Other than that should not be a problem.

[nies]

Remember the angle needs to be cut / so that the water can not get end as Craig  stated and your top board will be a saw width shorter ......nies

[deisher6]

our C16 drop boards were four piece.  I did not want to glue up any sections.  They worked fine without leaking.  Also were easy to keep out of the way.
regards charlie

[skip1930]

Cut the cut on a 45 degree to shed water.
I'm on my third set cut his way for my CP-19.
Great for storage too.

skip.

[Bob23]

Actually, the angle is not critical. I didn't want the sharp point of a 45 degree angle so I chose about 30 degrees. It'll work either way as long as the angle is pointed the correct way, as the guys above already noted. I put a small cleat on the backside of the upper board so it would pinch the boards together...no chance of warpage and thusly, a leak in driving rain.
Bob23

[jb]

made the 30 degree cut and installed the cleat. Finding the exact center with the curve and angle edges wasn't as easy as I anticipated....probably my own worst enemy, measured 10 times and cut once!

thanks everyone for their input

j

[Billy]

Actually, the angle is not critical. I didn't want the sharp point of a 45 degree angle so I chose about 30 degrees. It'll work either way as long as the angle is pointed the correct way, as the guys above already noted. I put a small cleat on the backside of the upper board so it would pinch the boards together...no chance of warpage and thusly, a leak in driving rain.
Bob23

Bob,
Please elaborate on the cleat. I am not sure I understand.
Billy

[jb]

Billy re your question about the cleat and not speaking for Bob, my cleat consisted of a 2 inch wide piece of wood attached horizontally to the bottom edge of the upper hatch board with 1 inch of the width overlapping the joint made by both hatch boards. The cleat locks the two boards together in a flat position and helps reduce warping  by either board.

j

[Billy]

Ahhh. Thanks.

[brackish]

That Picture worth a thousand words thing.  Mine is about 5/16"" thk:

[wroundey]

When I bought my 16 last January the hatch board was delaminating. I happened to have a chunk of corian in the garage and made a new hatch board out of that. Looks nice, but heavy. The idea of cutting it into two pieces sounds like a winter project. Thanks for the idea

[Pete H]

My Legacy 16 came from the factory with two piece fibreglass hatchboards. They do a good job of sealing the cabin, too good when we slept aboard. With one out, ventilation is improved but the first time we did this every mosquito in the southern hemisphere flew in. Replacing the hatch board kept them there.
So, using the top hatchboard as a template I cut out another one from a piece quarter inch ply, then cut the centre out and covered it with flexible insect screen. Without any doubt this is the best addition I have made to the boat. I was a happy sailor! Until! Until I saw the photo of Brackish's carved wooden hatchboard. Instant hatchboard envy! Until three minutes ago I didn't even know that  such a psychological disorder existed, now I have it! I WANT one! But as my grandmother used to say "wanting isn't the same as getting", I guess I'll have to fall in love with my white fibreglass ones.

Regards, Pete.

[nies]

Thanks a lot Pete, now I have "hatchboard envy", never knew I had it until you pointed it out, oh well just another "envy" to add to my list...nies

[brackish]

Well Pete, you can probably get one from the factory.  They must have someone locally with a CNC router whip them up.

I also did the screen dropboard.  Still have to stuff some pipe insulation above it to seal the mosquitos out.