Project: New companionway boards for CD22

[wikakaru]

Friday's project was to replace the old, flaking, delaminating hatchboard. It was made out of plywood, and it had not weathered well:

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First I made a template out of poster board. Lime green is all my local store had:

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I wanted to do this job inexpensively, so I decided to use a piece of PVC board from a home building supply store. The standard 8-foot "1x10" board (0.75 x 9.25 inches exactly) was large enough for me to cut the beveled edges and make the hatchboards in 3 pieces. I found some PVC board on the building supply store's web site, made by Royal Building Products, for $35, but it had a fake wood grain on one side that looked cheesy. I priced out Star Board ($147) and teak ($217). Eventually I decided to use Azek PVC ($49), which at least had a plain finish on both sides.

My neighbor let me use his table saw, and I cut the board into 3 pieces and beveled the top and bottom edges of the boards. The bottom edge is at an 8 degree angle to match the slope of the companionway, and the joints between the boards are at 30 degree angles to make sure water drains off on the outside:

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[wikakaru]

The template wasn’t perfectly sized. The poster board was thin and floppy, which made transferring measurements of an open vertical space quite challenging. Also, the corners of the companionway slot were well rounded (perhaps from years of accumulated varnish), so I had to sand the boards a bit to get them to fit:

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I cut out the slot for the companionway lock using a drill and a coping saw, then sanded it smooth with a file:

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Fitting the new boards:

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[wikakaru]

Here is the finished product:

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I'm not sure how the Azek will weather. I've owned boats with both Star Board and teak for companionway boards, and those materials aged well. This PVC is a much lighter weight material. Only time will tell. In the worst case, it was a $49 learning experience on how to make hatch boards so if I later use a more expensive material, I'm less likely to make mistakes.

[Note to self: the companionway is NOT symmetrical. Which way you orient the template matters!]

Smooth sailing,

Jim

[s2sailorlis]

Nice work Jim. I like the idea of using Azek, does it come in different colors?

Also, I assume the hatch board was not original, as mine consists of three heavy teak boards.

[robwm]

Nice work Jim. I like the idea of using Azek, does it come in different colors?

Also, I assume the hatch board was not original, as mine consists of three heavy teak boards.

The hatch-board on my CD22 (hull #122, built in 1982 but sold as a 1983 model) is made of two, very heavy teak boards. They look original: they are grooved on the sides so that they fir tightly, and, the grain is rather prominent even though they are well varnished (?, not sure of finish on them). So, it appears that there was some variation as to how the boats came from the factory.

[wikakaru]

Nice work Jim. I like the idea of using Azek, does it come in different colors?

Also, I assume the hatch board was not original, as mine consists of three heavy teak boards.

Azek makes products in lots of different colors, but this product, called Azek Trim, only comes in white. Their web site says it is paintable.

The plywood companionway board was not original. A previous owner made it. The boat has had a checkered past, so there's no telling what happened to the original teak boards.

[S/V Ethan Grey]

Jim,
How is the Azek hatchboard working out for you? I need to replace mine as well and was looking at using PVC board. Thanks!

Here is the finished product:

DSC_5903.JPG

I'm not sure how the Azek will weather. I've owned boats with both Star Board and teak for companionway boards, and those materials aged well. This PVC is a much lighter weight material. Only time will tell. In the worst case, it was a $49 learning experience on how to make hatch boards so if I later use a more expensive material, I'm less likely to make mistakes.

[Note to self: the companionway is NOT symmetrical. Which way you orient the template matters!]

Smooth sailing,

Jim

[wikakaru]

Sorry, we only had about a month of sailing after the hatchboards were complete before it was time to haul out for the season, and everything was fine then. I will be interested to see this spring how they weathered the winter, but for now it's too early to say.

[S/V Ethan Grey]

Thank you. My hatch boards are plywood and seriously delaminated, so I have to do something.

Sorry, we only had about a month of sailing after the hatchboards were complete before it was time to haul out for the season, and everything was fine then. I will be interested to see this spring how they weathered the winter, but for now it's too early to say.

[Steve Laume]

Raven's hatch boards are in great shape. Part of the reason for this is that I made up a quick and dirty solid plywood board that I use for the winter. It is 3/4" fir plywood that is painted white. It allows me to take the teak boards home and get another coat of varnish on them while also keeping them out of the worst weather. For any of you that are replacing your hatch boards, you would be well served to paint up the old ones and just use them for the winter. For those of you who's hatch boards are still in good shape, it is pretty easy to make up a winter board to help keep them that way, Steve.

[S/V Ethan Grey]

That’s a good idea. Since I only day sail, I might make up a solid plywood hatch, paint it, and leave it at the dock while I go sailing. That will keep any water from getting in the boat while I’m away from the boat. Maybe I’ll put a vent in it too.

Raven's hatch boards are in great shape. Part of the reason for this is that I made up a quick and dirty solid plywood board that I use for the winter. It is 3/4" fir plywood that is painted white. It allows me to take the teak boards home and get another coat of varnish on them while also keeping them out of the worst weather. For any of you that are replacing your hatch boards, you would be well served to paint up the old ones and just use them for the winter. For those of you who's hatch boards are still in good shape, it is pretty easy to make up a winter board to help keep them that way, Steve.

[appletim1]

Here is how mine turned out. Not perfect, but perfectly adequate, with mahogany.

[wikakaru]

Here's a follow-up on how the cheap Azek PVC "lumber" I used for the hatch boards has stood up after almost 2 years. The surface is a little rougher from weathering than when first installed, but otherwise showing little sign of wear. I'd still give it a thumbs-up as a cheap-and-dirty solution if you don't want to go to the expense of buying real hardwood and spending the time and effort to varnish it.

Smooth sailing,

Jim

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[Ben Miller]

OK, I gotta ask:

IF FOUND - CONTACT

What's that for? In case the hatch board blows away, or in case the boat leaves its mooring unattended?

[wikakaru]

OK, I gotta ask:

IF FOUND - CONTACT

What's that for? In case the hatch board blows away, or in case the boat leaves its mooring unattended?

It's in case the boat decides to go for a sail by itself and winds up ashore somewhere. I have a sticker just like it in my dinghy for the same reason. Sharp eyes may have noticed that I digitally altered the image to remove my contact information.

Smooth sailing,

Jim