Odd issue with new starboard hatch drop board

[BruceW]

Rick,

My teak stopper doesn't have spacers, but I could try that. I talked with Matt Hutchins, and he had never heard of this issue, but he had the shop make me one that has a lip on it, something like the side pieces. When it gets here, I"ll post a picture. Meanwhile, I have another repair to do on the boat tomorrow, and I may try some spacers if the board won't stay in place.

[Norm]

Here is what I did to solve the same problem I had: replace the horazonal molding with a flat piece (not rounded) and cut and screw a 1/8"X1"X10" aluminum piece to the outside of the teak piece.  This holds the lower hatch board and does not allow the board to bow.

[BruceW]

Norm,

I think that is a good solution. I received the piece from Hutchins today. It is a nice piece of teak, and will have the same effect as your solution. The lower board will sit on the inner part, and the outer part sticks up a half inch and will hold the board in.

Vee-ola!

[HeaveToo]

Norm's solution only sticks up a little.  It doesn't get in the way of things or snag things because of this.  He came up with an excellent solution and I will try to photograph it when I am down on the boat next time.

[skip1930]

Crazy but ... " running the boards through a surface planer will not flatten them out. "

What? Take one of the pieces one at a time and just touch the high spot and run it through the planner.
Do the next one.

Flip the first piece touch the high spot and send that through the planner. Do the next piece.

Keep flipping back and forth, removing the high spots on both sides and that will flatted both pieces to the same flat thickness eventually.

This can be done with a plane and sander too but will take F O R E V E R. Might even take a whole day and a pile of sand paper.
What's more satisfying then making wood chips?

skip.

[BruceW]

Skip,

It's starboard, not wood. Anyway, the board is flexible, not made wrong; it just needs a keeper so it doesn't flex out over the very thin stopper, which by the way, is rounded. My new piece is essentially a wider flat board, square-ish, with the top back quarter taken out with a table saw. This makes the slot for the board, with the higher front being the same sort of keeper mentioned earlier by the fella who put the strip of aluminum on it. Doesn't stick up much at all; does the trick. Pics to follow.

[Billy]

What about placing a small trim nail inside of one or both of the vertical slots that would act as a stopper for the drop board?

[BruceW]

The above is what Huchins sent me. Should do the trick.

[brackish]

Crazy but ... " running the boards through a surface planer will not flatten them out. "

What? Take one of the pieces one at a time and just touch the high spot and run it through the planner.
Do the next one.

Flip the first piece touch the high spot and send that through the planner. Do the next piece.

Keep flipping back and forth, removing the high spots on both sides and that will flatted both pieces to the same flat thickness eventually.

This can be done with a plane and sander too but will take F O R E V E R. Might even take a whole day and a pile of sand paper.
What's more satisfying then making wood chips?

skip.

Skip, using and making stationary woodworking machinery was my business for twenty years.  If a board has a bow in it the planer feed rollers will hold it flat only while you are making contact with the cutterhead.  When you get that board out it will have a nice smooth planed surface a little thinner than before but still quite possibly with a bow.  In fact if it had a tendency to bow before, being thinner will just aggravate the condition unless all the tension was at the very outside surface grain.  Getting rid of cups, bows and twists requires that you face joint one side first to "relaxed" flat then plane the other side.  In the case of a pronounced bow, most times there will not be enough material to get to relaxed.  Wood of course, plastic who knows.

If it is wood you can treat a bow with moisture, heat and pressure to get it out, but with plastic, the only thing I know to do is add a stiffener

[brackish]

Hmm, that should work OK.  The lower leg of the angle should have been intermittent, ie., solid/open/solid/open.......to allow for rapid and ultimate drainage and to keep dirt from collecting.  Even though it can drain to the sides, it think it will eventually be a scummy mess.  If you have no way to cut the slots now, you might consider drilling a few holes along the length.

[BruceW]

Well, I could in fact saw by hand and get some grooves in there.

[BruceW]

Also, this piece is much thicker than the original, and longer as well; I could even put it on  upside down and the flat part alone would do more than my current stopper does.