Cabin Door won''t close

[maureena5]

Hi All,
We just put our l982, 34ft. C&C in Lake Michigan last weekend. Our door to the V Berth cabin is out of alignment and won''t close. Is this something that happens to boats in dry dock during the winter? The door was open when it was taken out of the Lake, and was open all winter during storage. Any suggestions? Thanks!

[yandina]

What you describe is not uncommon. I would not rush into doing anything. There are many factors including stresses while out of the water, and major changes in humidity.

Use the boat for a week or two and see if it corrects itself before worrying too much.

[RichH]

Look for a wooden compression post that has rotted on it''s bottom as it sits in the bilge. Havent been in a C&C for a while and I quite dont remember if they have a wood post. Typical wood posts are held in place with a ''socket'' made of GRP tabbing that when installed have an additional wooden wedge driven in to jack/load the post. If you cannot see the condition of the post because of the ''socket'' you may have to drill a teeny hole - then examine the drillings for rot. All the same comments apply to tabbed-in bulkheads (but usually no wedge). .....
A significant shift in interior joinerwork, etc. usually means you have lost intergrity in some structural member. Poor jackstand placement can cause this - but rarely

[Jeff_H]

Other possible causes are overtightening of your rigging and insufficient ventilation causing swelling of the wood frame due to high moisture content. I think that the suggestion that the boat was improperly stored and has wracked is also a very likely candidate. It is critical that you check your propellor shaft alignment which also should give you clues.

Jeff