4" bronze port in drop board

[Steve Laume]

Has anyone added a 4" bronze port to one their drop boards? When I am on the boat with the companion way all closed up I can't see anything towards the back of the boat. If I leave the dog in the cockpit I can't even tell if she wants to come back in or has jumped overboard. I like the teak boards but want to be able to see out. Both Spartan and Hamilton sell 4" round ports. The Hamilton ones have an inner trim ring. I think I could route The teak to finish it off without trim. Any ideas? It is always good to see what is coming up behind you, Steve.

[barfwinkle]

Hi Steve

I cut a middle weather board (of the three) out of Lexan and it truly is great. It adds light to the cabin and as you requested, allows you to see aft with the cabin water tight.

Fair winds

[Russell]

I honestly hardly ever use the standard washboards, they basicly only get used in really nasty weather when the boat is shipping a lot of water, or when I am someplace where I am leaving the boat and need to make it secure against theifs. The rest of the time I use a screen which is one peice that fits into the companionway with a wood frame, part of that frame also has a slot to slid in a lexan insert for when it rains. Usually when on board durring the day the companionway is open, at night the screen goes in to keep the bugs out.

Your idea of putting a port in works, but what you can see will be limited. I think the method of a middle board optional peice with a screen and/or lexan, or my method of an entire companionway peice that does the same, will ultimately be a better solution. But of course if your talking about this in chilly climates and your running a heater down below, perhaps neither of these are ideal for you.

I know some late model CD36s had an aft facing port in the galley area, perhaps that is something you could consider as well. If my insturments were not already mounted there it is indeed a change I would seriously consider making.

[Warren S]

Are there any tricks, like having to run power tools slower to prevent the material from melting and clogging a planer or router?

Thanks...

[Russell]

Are there any tricks, like having to run power tools slower to prevent the material from melting and clogging a planer or router?

Thanks...

Well, my trick is to go to a plastic shop with a pattern and have them cut it for me.

In the past, when I had a very large salt water aqurium I did try my hand at cutting plexiglass several times myself, never with good results, always ended up with melted plastic.

[viejo]

We recently replaced some large fixed ports in our galley and used smoke colored lexan to do so.

Cutting the ports was easy with a jig saw and a fine blade (about like a hack saw). Just leave the paper cover on the lexan/plexiglas to prevent scratches.

[s calder]

I installed a 4" Spartan port in my upper drop board. I bought a teak interior trim ring and affixed it to the inside. It looks great and does let in light and affords a nice view of the cockpit.

[barfwinkle]

I cut my middle "board" on a table saw using a masonry blade. It was slow work, and it did scratch the lexan (mine was given to me without the paper on it). After cutting I used my sander to bevel the edges and then some "lexan" polish (which I dont recall the name of at the moment) to remove the worst of the scratches.

It was rough on the saw, but well worth the effort.

Fair Winds

[Oswego John]

You get good results when working with lexan by the use of heat. Lay out your cut and tape both sides with duct tape or other stout tape.

If you use a jig saw, use a fine toothed blade. If saw is variable speed, keep it on low. You must apply constant pressure on saw's platen.

Clean up the finished cut with 180 - 220 grit sandpaper. A belt sander works nicely.

Modern plastic shops cut lexan with a laser.

For how to drill, bend or cut lexan see:

http://www.wizdforums.co.uk/archive/ind ... -4119.html

Good luck,
O J

[Dean Abramson]

On my 25D, I had the glass company cut me a piece of plexiglass which took the place of my two top washboards. In that size, it stored under a bunk along with my charts (a piece big enough for the entire companionway would not have). I just used the two washboards to draw a pattern on a piece of cardboard, and brought it to the glass shop. Easy and cheap. For gloomy wet days at anchor, it really cheers up the cabin, and facilitates looking aft.

I also built a simple screen which consisted just of nylon screening with a thin board attached top and bottom, which filled the entire companionway. The thing rolled up, boards and all, and stored easily.

My 31 came with a wonderful custom wood-framed screen for the entire companionway. It stores behind the seat in the shower/head, so you have to move it before showering.

Dean

[Steve Laume]

Dean does the complete screen mean it covers the slide area too? I like the idea of the roll up screen, for the drop board area, a lot. Not so sure I am ready to trade teak for plastic boards. Putting a port in the bulkhead might be a better idea. I was a bit worried about the port scratching the varnish on the other boards while handling. If I went with the bulkhead location I could fit a 6" port. I need to take another look at this. You guys are great, Steve.

[Dean Abramson]

Mine covered only the part where the washboards go, so you had to keep the hatch pulled aft to keep the critters out. The top board was as long as the top edge of a top washboard, and likewise had angled ends to fit nicely into the grooves. I cut the screen slight oversized in width, so that it snugged against the side of the opening.

It seems to me you could easily add a third board and second piece of screening. This appendage would sit on top of the hatchway, making the whole rig L-shaped, and you would have overhead screening too. (For dry days.) This would also roll right up. You might need to use some velcro patches to secure the overhead, forward board, and maybe the sides of the top screen, to keep that overhead part from collapsing down.

On mine, I needed nothing on the sides, as gravity and the weight of the bottom board kept it in place. I did not hem the edges, and I just attached them to the boards (on the inner side) with velcro tape, with the idea that if it got torn or dirty, I could just cut a new one and stick it on. Very cheap, low-tech and easy to make. I varnished the boards with poly.

Dean

[Dean Abramson]

Steve, I did not trade my teak boards for plastic. The plastic one was additional, for use on rainy or cold days at anchor. It weighed next to nothing, and sat on top of my charts under the settee, actually helping to keep them flat. There was no downside just to have it on board. I still used the teak hatchboards most of the time, and ALWAYS when I was off the boat.

Dean

[Judith]

I've been envisioning the same sort of companionway screen (the L-shaped two-dimension one), ever since a thick-with-mosquitoes night at Swan Quarter.

I came up with the same top and bottom board configuration for the vertical face, with just netting between and gravity taking care of the sides--and yes, I was concerned that it roll up and store compactly. I've played around with several thoughts about the overhead piece (which may or may not need to be separate).

The idea I like the best so far is to sew simple rod-pockets along the side (like the top of curtains), then slip in spring-tension curtain rods: they're lightweight and generally available in smallish lengths (plus, of course, they can probably be easily cut down some, if need be). The top board of the vertical panel would need to be reasonably stable, as one end of the tension rod(s) would push against it. . .

Then again, the tension rods could go across the opening at either end (rather than along the sides). In that case, a thin dowel (or similar) along the sides would likely keep the panel from sagging downward. For storage, slip tension rods out of the ends, and the whole piece will still roll up into nothing. . .

I've been meaning to do this since, oh, September Thanks for the reminder--and just in time for warmer weather!

Judith

[Dean Abramson]

Judith,

I am sure we would all love to see a photo when you are done. What you do on the horizontal surface is something I might want to copy on our 31, to complement the vertical screen.

Dean