Cockpit hatch

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R.B.
Posts: 233
Joined: Fri Jan 20, 2006 2:04 pm
Location: Ontario, Canada

Cockpit hatch

Post by R.B. »

Has anyone replaced their hatch boards with swing doors? I have seen this on some other boats and really like the convenience of the doors as opposed to the boards. I would be interested in any detailed pics or info on this mod. Especially on how the hinges are mounted to the frame.

Thanks,
Ralph
Ralph

WOLFHELM
C350 #342
Tim April IV
Posts: 78
Joined: Wed Nov 02, 2005 12:24 pm
Location: Seattle

Completed Last Month - Love 'Em!

Post by Tim April IV »

We just finished the installation of our doors last month - and absolutely love them! The installation was pretty easy, the quality is wonderful, they look good and work great!

We bought ours from this outfit:

http://www.cruisingconcepts.com/

They supply everything you need for the installation, including pretty good instructions.

I'll post a couple of pictures in a day or so.

The installation requires the removal of the stainless "facia" that holds the current boards in place. The supplied teak pieces will still hold the boards in place, and that's also where you mount the lower detachable hinge mount. The upper hinge mount (with the pin pointing down) mounts to the doors themselves, and then you just drop the door/pin assembly into the lower part of the hinge and you have swinging doors!

You do have to finish the doors yourself - choosing teak oil or varnish, etc as you desire. We went with just Teak Oil. The kit comes with all the teak plugs needed to cover any screw holes, one of the drill bits you would need, and a couple of square drive bits for the screws they supply.

A wonderful upgrade!

Good Luck!
Tim Brogan
April IV C350 #68
Seattle
Tim April IV
Posts: 78
Joined: Wed Nov 02, 2005 12:24 pm
Location: Seattle

Companionway Door Pictures

Post by Tim April IV »

Here's a couple of pictures of the companionway doors we installed on April IV. As noted above, we bought them from Cruising Concepts and are very happy.

This picture shows the doors during the installation process. You can see the teak facia's that have been installed in place of the existing stainless ones, and I've secured the doors (with blue painters tape) to layout the locations for the the hinges to be attached.

Image

In this picture, you can see the doors with the hinges attached. I haven't yet installed the teak "bungs" to cover the open screw holes, and I also haven't yet installed the hasp - a part of which I did need to drill/screw/glue to the fiberglass sliding hatch. I would have preferred to use the nice locking mechanism installed in the existing boards, but I didn't want to remove it, and I didn't want to drill a big hole in my new doors.

Image

The installation is finished now, hasp, bungs and teak oil finish and we are extremely happy with the ease of coming and going, and the added light in the already bright cabin.

Good Luck!
Tim Brogan
April IV C350 #68
Seattle
R.B.
Posts: 233
Joined: Fri Jan 20, 2006 2:04 pm
Location: Ontario, Canada

Looks Great!

Post by R.B. »

That looks great Tim! That is exactly what we were looking for! Thanks for the pictures, I'll show them to the admiral when I get home.

Congrats on the professional looking install.

-Ralph
Ralph

WOLFHELM
C350 #342
Hans Grasman

cockpit doors

Post by Hans Grasman »

Tim
Thank you for posting the detailed pictures. I assume the doors swing into the cabin. Do they cover the wooden grap handles when swung inside? Those handles are needed in rough seas when you wake up to take over the watch. The admiral wants the doors.
Hans
Belcourt #165
Tim April IV
Posts: 78
Joined: Wed Nov 02, 2005 12:24 pm
Location: Seattle

Doors Swing Out

Post by Tim April IV »

The doors swing out - aft. There are little bumpers so that they don't bang on the cockpit sides. When underway, we leave them closed.

As noted, they can very quickly be removed and the original boards inserted and locked.
Tim Brogan
April IV C350 #68
Seattle
ahuffman
Posts: 3
Joined: Mon Nov 07, 2005 3:12 pm
Location: Lake Cheney, Kansas

Companionway hatch

Post by ahuffman »

My boat came with a dealer option of lucite doors with stainless hardware. They are much lower maintenance, and look great. Dealer is inlandsailing.com, in Dallas. Todd or Greg can probably help you, I think they are around $500, which is comparable to the cruising concepts doors
Alan Huffman
C-350 #290
Main Course
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