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Catalina/Capri 25/250 Sailor's Forums

Catalina 25 Specific Forum

Companionway door

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newell
Navigator

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USA
113 Posts

Initially Posted - 11/17/2008 : 20:19:52

has anyone attempted to build doors like this? If so, does anyone have plans they would be willing to share?

newell

Newell
1980 C25 SR/SK
AVALON

Edited by - on

Dave Bristle
Master Marine Consultant

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Djibouti
10005 Posts

Response Posted - 11/17/2008 : 20:59:10

What's your objective? Note that the doors can't open much past 90 degrees, flopping around and infringing considerably on cockpit space. If you want to sail with the companionway always closed, maybe...

Edited by - Dave Bristle on 11/17/2008 21:03:16

dmpilc
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
4593 Posts

Response Posted - 11/17/2008 : 22:05:54

Looks pretty but doesn't seem to be too practical given the slant and shape of our companionway. The only advantage I see is that the glass inserts can be replaced with screens for staying overnight. These kind of doors seem much more practical on boats with vertical companionway board set-ups.

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Scumbucket
1st Mate

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USA
53 Posts

Response Posted - 11/18/2008 : 09:37:17

Newell, I have been considering this as well.

I do not have any design plans, and I have seen designs like this with removable doors and panels. We are also looking at the possibility of a hinge on the bottom to allow the door to swing all the way open giving more access to the cockpit.

Having this type of door removable is a key element I believe. Plus when your boat is all locked it sure looks sharp!

Again I have just been kicking this around in my head for a few months because I need to replace all my teak around the companionway this winter and looking at various options. The standard boards is a proven method and that is also important.

Edited by - Scumbucket on 11/18/2008 09:38:23

pastmember
Master Marine Consultant

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2402 Posts

Response Posted - 11/18/2008 : 10:10:19

I have a personal issue with little boats trying to look like big boats, (wheels on boats under 30 feet for instance). I think the doors would work poorly, be unsafe in a storm, be overly complex and reflect a lot of non sailing effort, (and probably make the boat feel like a pit bull in a sweater). I just replaced the hatch boards on my friends Hunter 25.5 and used 1/2" Starboard, on a Catalina I would go with two boards rather than three. The material was $80 and I was done in an hour, she is thrilled and I am OK with it, it looks very clean.

Edited by - on

Happy D
Admiral

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921 Posts

Response Posted - 11/18/2008 : 10:33:20

If you use the type hinges where you can lift the doors off, they are esentially the same as drop baords. You can take them off and stow them.
<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">and reflect a lot of non-sailing effort<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
Some people enjoy working on their boats.

Edited by - Happy D on 11/18/2008 10:34:22

pastmember
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2402 Posts

Response Posted - 11/18/2008 : 11:18:37

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Happy D
 If you use the type hinges where you can lift the doors off, they are essentially the same as drop boards. You can take them off and stow them.
<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">and reflect a lot of non-sailing effort<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
Some people enjoy working on their boats.

<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
Was kind of a pissy post wasn't it, probably has to do with posting while surrounded by students who think they are the next "World's Greatest Thug" and show it by how they wear their pants and talk. ... come on Thanksgiving!

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redeye
Master Marine Consultant

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3476 Posts

Response Posted - 11/18/2008 : 12:21:03

Frank, you shouldn't be so hard on yourself, I mean geesh, your going to hell anyway.. :)

But but WOOD is so alive.. OK maybe dead but it was once alive..

How can you forsake the trees for petrol...

Edited by - on

Happy D
Admiral

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921 Posts

Response Posted - 11/18/2008 : 16:22:32

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">[how they wear their pants<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Jeff Foxworthy said it best, " If your mother drops you off at school, you ain't a gangster, PULL UP YOUR PANTS!"

I feel for you Frank.

Edited by - Happy D on 11/18/2008 17:25:00

newell
Navigator

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USA
113 Posts

Response Posted - 11/18/2008 : 16:50:57

Wow! Seems I stirred up some trouble with my post on doors. Here is the thing.......I sail on a lake where storms are not an issue, I like to putz around on my boat and add things, I don't really care if the doors take up a bit more cockpit space , and I don't think I am trying to make a "little boat look like a big boat". I have friends at my yacht club who have these dorrs...they look sharp and they seem to like them.

Now, can we get back to the original request? Has anyone done this and, if so, do you have plans to share??

newell

Edited by - on

OLarryR
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
3466 Posts

Response Posted - 11/18/2008 : 18:03:43

I have the original boards and I could not find any plans on the web. But here are some links which you may have seen already. (May/may not work for the Catalina 25):

http://shop.catalinaowners.com/detail.htm?fno=20& group=1225& cat=2015

http://www.cruisingconcepts.com/Codoor.htm

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Prospector
Master Marine Consultant

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Canada
3159 Posts

Response Posted - 11/18/2008 : 18:10:36

I love the idea Newell, but the prices I found killed it for me. I also looked at making something on my own. I don't think my joinery skills are up to it.

Why not just replace the teak hatch boards with Lexan? Locally there is a place that will custom cut/form/fit lexan to any shape you want. I am sure there is somthing like that where you are. I have been meaning to get a quote from them for this for some time.

Another idea for the lexan place that I haven't yet asked about - Wouldn't it be great to convert the Turtle-top (slider) to a smoked lexan to let light in on gloomy days? Friends of ours have a Beneteau with skylights that are amazing. On a sunny day they just stretch a shade across. I would love to have a new lexan/starboard/whatever top vaccum formed and then mount a shade on it. Extra light on gloomy days, still shady on bright days.

I really need to get this stuff costed so I can stop dreaming!!

Edited by - Prospector on 11/18/2008 18:36:11

Prospector
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Canada
3159 Posts

Response Posted - 11/18/2008 : 18:50:54

Some interesting information on hatches from a Practical Sailor Article on Hurricane Gloria:

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">By far the worst offender during the storm was the poverty of construction of a great majority of companionway hatch systems. In most cases where the companionway integrity was lost, it was the hatch boards that wereto blame. Unlike deck hatches, which lie flat, companionways are vertical structures, which can, in some circumstances, become the direct target for wind and waves.
Those that withstood the relentless siege of the elements while lying at the water’s edge during the storm differed from those that did not in several ways. First, they were simply made of thicker wood or plywood. Second, they were tight-fitting, and did not allow any “play” that might have weakened the hatch system. Third, the boards overlapped, so that the stress was shared by all the boards
covering the companionway. Fourth, they were built so that the sliding companionway hatch would remain in place if one or more hatch boards were broken. <hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

While we aren't doing any bluewater cruising - well maybe Georgian bay... - This may be worth keeping in mind for severe storms if you are in a hurricane area. How would the lexan boards hold up? Would they be attached to the boat better than the original design?

I don't think the original design would hold the boards in particularly well, but I have never seen a storm of the magnitude some others have. Just more things to consider when making your choice.

Also, I found this website with another maker of custom hinged hatchboards http://www.zarcor.com/ these ones are made from starboard though.

Edited by - on

dmpilc
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
4593 Posts

Response Posted - 11/18/2008 : 18:52:42

I have to admit that the doors are pretty, and I really like the idea of lift-off hinges to get them out of the way while sailing. If you do find plans, I suggest building a mock-up in plywood first for the practice before you start cutting into really expensive wood. Good luck with the project.

Edited by - on

Patrice C25
1st Mate

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78 Posts

Response Posted - 11/19/2008 : 07:44:23

Hi,

They sure look nice. Could be a very nice winter project. Well for us up north :-).
One concern I have, is that the C25 companionway door have a big angle, not vertical, and the rain water would accumulate on the bottom edge of the window, it migth be better to put some kaulking(or other).

Edited by - on

Nautiduck
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
3704 Posts

Response Posted - 11/19/2008 : 11:25:56

I think the companionway doors look sweet - but then I have a wheel on a 25' boat.

An advantage these doors give is to allow crew in the cabin to keep an eye out for the captain. On bad weather days this can be an important safety issue. Here is a link that may interest you about Tom Potter's companionway port solution:

[url="http://www.catalina-capri-25s.org/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=16397&SearchTerms=companionway"]companionway[/url]

There are bigger photos on his web site.

Also, Prospector mentioned having a Lexan sliding cabin cover. The C250's have this and it does really lighten up the cabin. I am a fan of anything that gets more light inside.

Good luck with your project.

Edited by - Nautiduck on 11/19/2008 11:29:59

Dave Bristle
Master Marine Consultant

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Djibouti
10005 Posts

Response Posted - 11/19/2008 : 15:14:44

A friend made a replacement top companionway board out of smoke-colored Lexan for his C-30, using the teak board as a pattern. Looked and worked great.

Edited by - on

tbosch
Navigator

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163 Posts

Response Posted - 11/20/2008 : 11:41:21

My brother in law is making me a screen using the top two companionway boards as a template. It will have a wooden frame and a hinge down the center for stowing. It will be used at anchor if the bugs are out.

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Prospector
Master Marine Consultant

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Canada
3159 Posts

Response Posted - 11/20/2008 : 12:13:06

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Nautiduck

Also, Prospector mentioned having a Lexan sliding cabin cover. The C250's have this and it does really lighten up the cabin. I am a fan of anything that gets more light inside.

Good luck with your project.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Hey Nauti - you don't happen to know th ethickness of the lexan do you? What do you use for a shade on it?

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Nautiduck
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
3704 Posts

Response Posted - 11/20/2008 : 14:56:09

Prospector, I am guessing that the Lexan is 1/4" thick. It is quite sturdy. The cabin/companionway cover on a C250 is very different from that on a C25. The cover on the 250 is larger. Half of it is the Lexan that slides forward into the other half which then tilts up. We do not use a shade on the Lexan. It is tinted dark. When we spend the night we always put up the popup tent.

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John Russell
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
3444 Posts

Response Posted - 11/20/2008 : 15:51:06

I think it might be 3/8" thick. I've inadvertently stepped on it without problem.

I have a lexan companionway board as well. Don't know if that's typical on the 250 or mine is unusual.

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bigelowp
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1776 Posts

Response Posted - 11/22/2008 : 17:13:00

Well . . . my first boat had "doors" and their are some advantages but, IMHO they were outweighed by the disadvantages. First the disadvantages: no matter how well they were secured they would inevitably start banging open or closed when healing or going over any rough water with the result of dings and scratches and more importantly, creating a nuisance right when you least want one. Second, they did take up precious cockpit space -- right where most guests want to sit shifting them aft within the tiller area. Now for the advantages; they made it easy to close up below when the rain came, they were fine for spending the night (I had louvers that I could pop out and replace with a screen insert) and they looked very "Hereshoff". Personal opinion, I would stick with the current system and maybe replace the top board with one that had a screen and flip down Lexan cover so overnight cross ventilation would be possible. Regardless, if you proceed let us know how you like it and what is required to make it happen.

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