Adding Bare Teak Caps to Compionway

[John Stone]

When I installed the treak trim around the companionway during the Far Reach rebuild I deviated only slightly from the original design. I kept the slots for the drop boards bare and varnished everything on the interior.

But, as I have mentioned many times varnish is not very resistant to abrasion. So, after five years of putting my hands on the companionway rails climbing up and down the ladder the varnish was beginning to wear through while the remaining vertical surfaces were still in good shape.

I decided a long time ago I would install bare teak or bronze caps to the rails. As part of my prelaunch project list this task finally rose above the cut line.

I used a straight cut 1/2" router with a guide bearing to cut about 3/8" off the top of the rails. It made a hell of a mess though by taping off the interior very little debris made it below. I milled the teak from old off-cuts and then made the final marks on the boat. I wanted teak caps to be proud of the varnished teak all around so there would be a easy cut in line for varnishing the interior teak that abuts the cap rails. I used my cabinet makers files to get a good fit then clamped them in place and drilled for fasteners. I taped everything off. I removed the teak and applied West System GFLEX epoxy to both sides. Gflex is suppose to be good at bonding teak. It mixes 1:1 and is slightly thick so you measude it by squeezing out two equal size parallel lines of resin and hardener and mixing together with a stir stick. Quick and simple. After driving the screws home I cleaned up all the squeeze out. I left it to cure over night.

Today, I installed the wood plugs with Tite Bond III and while the glue was drying worked on other projects. Then, I chiseled them flush. I am pleased with the way the turned out. I like that they are flat on top (because they are wider) as it is more comfortable under my hands.

[Jim Walsh]

Neat idea. A couple weeks ago I added another coat of satin varnish to the bulkheads in the main cabin. The same spot on the companionway that you added the teak strips to was my main motivation as mine had worn down since it’s a natural handhold when descending. Those got three coats of varnish but your solution would preclude doing the same thing again a couple years from now.

[John Stone]

Neat idea. A couple weeks ago I added another coat of satin varnish to the bulkheads in the main cabin. The same spot on the companionway that you added the teak strips to was my main motivation as mine had worn down since it’s a natural handhold when descending. Those got three coats of varnish but your solution would preclude doing the same thing again a couple years from now.

One less thing to have to deal with. Plus, I have always enjoyed the aesthetics of bare wood against varnished wood. Sort of a yin and yang effect.

(Edited because I can't spell!)

[wikakaru]

Nice job, John. I'm not a fan of the way Cape Dory companionways were built. You've come up with a good solution to one of the problems with the design.

I kind of like the C-shaped companionway profile I had on an old boat. It was really difficult for water to find its way inside that joint. The stainless made a nice smooth slide as well as an excellent delineator between interior and exterior teak:

Companionway.jpg (201.5 KiB) Viewed 457 times

Smooth sailing,

Jim

[John Stone]

Nice job, John. I'm not a fan of the way Cape Dory companionways were built. You've come up with a good solution to one of the problems with the design.

I kind of like the C-shaped companionway profile I had on an old boat. It was really difficult for water to find its way inside that joint. The stainless made a nice smooth slide as well as an excellent delineator between interior and exterior teak:

Companionway.jpg

Smooth sailing,

Jim

I have always admired that design. Very elegant. And if I were building a boat from scratch I would build it that way. But, I am not sure it's more water tight than what we have on our CDs. The fiberglass sea-hood is excellent at preventing water from getting under the hatch. Well unless you really bury the boat under green water. I guess water could be forced up through the drain holes then if enough got in it could get under the hatch.

I bet you have buried your 22 before. Did water get in? I've had green water over the deck but never over the cabin top. I shudder think of that happening on a 36.

[wikakaru]

I have always admired that design. Very elegant. And if I were building a boat from scratch I would build it that way. But, I am not sure it's more water tight than what we have on our CDs. The fiberglass sea-hood is excellent at preventing water from getting under the hatch. Well unless you really bury the boat under green water. I guess water could be forced up through the drain holes then if enough got in it could get under the hatch.

I bet you have buried your 22 before. Did water get in? I've had green water over the deck but never over the cabin top. I shudder think of that happening on a 36.

The designer's name of the boat with that companionway is Dudley Dix. He's from South Africa. The conditions off the Cape of Good Hope where he sailed can be horrendous. Down there 35 knots is a gentle breeze. The South Africans build boats for the worst, and that companionway was just one of many little details that made it a good sea boat. We sailed that boat many times in lousy conditions. In 25 or 30 knots sailing upwind under triple-reefed main and staysail that boat would handle like a dinghy. It was a joy.

I don't think I have ever buried the 22 under green water. Plenty of spray and the odd small wave here and there, but no green water over the cabin top. Since I'm just daysailing and doing short cruises, I have the luxury of good forecasts and so far I have avoided getting caught out in really bad conditions.

I did bury the Typhoon once, or rather, a lobster boat's wake buried me. The typhoon's companionway doesn't have a turtle, and the wave rolled right over the whole boat including the cabin top. Water went everywhere, including down below. The lobster boat passed within 10 feet of our bow going 15-20 knots, making the maximum semi-displacement-mode wake possible. It was out in the middle of the bay so it's not like it was a tight channel and he had to pass that close, or like it was foggy and he couldn't see me. It was a light wind day and I wasn't going fast enough that I could have maneuvered to avoid a collision. I still don't know if he did it on purpose "just to mess with the stupid sailboat" or if he left the helm on autopilot for the entire 10 or 15 minutes he was coming straight at me and didn't even bother to look around. I couldn't see through his windows as he approached whether anyone was at the helm, and after he passed I had other things to worry about, like whether we were going to sink or not. I'm not sure which is worse--malice or negligence. I guess every group of people has its bad apples. Gee, do you think I've gotten over it yet? Sorry for the rant.

Anyway, like you said, the turtle and a dodger together should protect you from most conditions you are likely to see. The worst case would be that in really snotty weather a wave takes the dodger away, then the aft part of the companionway is left exposed. But in those conditions, like I experienced with the jerk's wake, you will have other things to worry about first.

Smooth sailing,

Jim

[mpm]

it looks like you've rebuilt the slotted teak rails for the sliding hood. What's material ?

thanks

mark

[John Stone]

it looks like you've rebuilt the slotted teak rails for the sliding hood. What's material ?

thanks

mark

I milled new teak rails, cut dados, epoxied in UHMW bar stock, then cut the slots in the UHMW, then installed the rails.

Here is how: http://www.farreachvoyages.com/projects ... ahood.html