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Companionway hatchboards

6K views 10 replies 9 participants last post by  Pub911 
#1 ·
Does anyone have a source for louvered companionway hatchboards? D & R Marine shows availability for the O''Day 25 but I don''t know if the dimensions are the same for my O''Day 26.
 
#5 ·
You might want to consider having Plexiglas (acrylic) companionway board(s) made up for your boat. Any plastics shop can supply the material, do beveled cuts, cut in louvers if you want them, and the cost will probably be less than teak. No maintenance and lots of light into the cabin on dark/rainy/cold days. If visual privacy is an issue (berthed stern-to at the dock) consider using a small curtain with some velcro tabs.

Jack
 
#9 ·
Fake louvers can be made with a table saw and plunge router.
make saw tooth cuts with two passes on the table saw, one at 90, one at 45, so they meet close to the other side. (you want to end up with half an "M" not a "V" cut) Don't cut all the way through as you need it to stay together.
cut off two 1" or so strips (width as desired) from the sides. then use the router to open up the bases of the cuts from the back side, leaving an inch or so on each side uncut.(to keep everything together) if your angles and measurements are right, you can then flip the 1" offcuts and glue them on to make a finished edge on the saw cut side which will be the outside.

If you don't have a plunge router, you can finish cutting the louvers with a table saw by making a double pass at the top (bottom) of the V. Or even repeat the whole saw tooth cut pattern on the back, which will provide a more realistic lover look. The router leaves the back side flat with slots (stronger louvers, but a slotted, not louvered look from the back)

Can be easily made to fit angled sides the same way, just make the flipped parts wider so you can cut the whole thing to shape.

Ken.
 
#10 · (Edited)
A lot of marine supply stores have the materials to make louvered doors, boards, etc,etc. the frames will already have the louver slots milled in, all you have to do is cut & assemble to size you need, then mill to fit companion way track and each other
 
#11 ·
There's more engineering involved in the construction of these things than you may first think. Take a look at where the boards mate - note that they are designed to shed water. In a 3-board set-up, the middle board is taller. This 'board' on my boat is actually 2 pieces of teak held together with glue and mechanically via 2 backing boards screwed on the cabin-side. This keeps the section from warping. Also note the endgrain of any section that requires you to use two or more boards (like to house the louvers for example). The end-grains are purposely opposed, again, to discourage warping.

I had a shop custome re-make mine and have long-since lost the contact information, but I do recall I had to give them very detailed milling instructions. They also used a pre-fab louvered section which kept their price down.

Good luck.
 
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