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Squeaky cabin top

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karentc
1st Mate

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USA
68 Posts

Initially Posted - 06/30/2003 : 12:59:53

My cabin top makes a terrible squeak every time I open and close it.
What should I use to clean/lube the teak to top slot so it isn't so loud??? Late night comings and goings are really disturbing to my slip neighbors!!!

Thanks,

Karen Christensen
Moondance
Grand Traverse Bay

Edited by - on

OJ
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
4382 Posts

Response Posted - 06/30/2003 : 13:21:10

Sounds like the slots the sliding hatch rides in are worn to the point that the hatch is dragging on the cabin top. If that's the case maybe a heavy coat of wax would reduce the noise level, albeit temporarily
There was a thread a couple-three weeks back on correcting this problem.

Edited by - on

Leon Sisson
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1893 Posts

Response Posted - 06/30/2003 : 13:27:52

Karen,<BLOCKQUOTE id=quote>quote:<hr height=1 noshade id=quote>My cabin top makes a terrible squeak every time I open and close it.<hr height=1 noshade id=quote></BLOCKQUOTE id=quote>Mine did that too. I think a lot of the C-25s do it. On mine, the problem wasn't the teak track squeeking, it was the front lip of the hatch dragging on the non-skid. In trying to figure out why (obviously it didn't do that when it was new), here's what I found. The grooves in the teak tracks were worn some. The port & stbd lips of the hatch were cracked and worn so that they no longer supported the weight of the hatch on the teak tracks.

Here's what I did to fix it.

I removed the teak tracks and sliding hatch from the boat.

I carefully and thoroughly block-sanded the grooves in the tracks to clean and straighten them. Then I reinforced the interior of the grooves with two or three coats of WEST epoxy (graphite additive optional). I also sanded and epoxy coated the teak surface that gets bedded onto the pop-top to seal out water, and to reinforce the wood surface where it might otherwise splinter when being pried loose for maintenance in the future.

On the sliding hatch, I first sanded the damaged lips to clean them. Then I laminated several layers of fiberglass tape and epoxy onto the bottom surfaces, with the tape continuing up inside the hatch to reinforce where the lip joins the rest of the hatch cover. I then sanded all the epoxy surfaces smooth so they would slide well.

I then sanded and recoated the exposed surfaces of the teak slide rails with several coats of Cetol Marine to protect them from the tropical sun.

That was about a year ago, and the repair seems to be holding up well so far. The hatch slides smoothly and quietly.

-- Leon Sisson

Edited by - on

karentc
1st Mate

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USA
68 Posts

Response Posted - 06/30/2003 : 13:38:42

Wow!
Leon,
Thank you for the very detailed and clear explanation!
How long did this take to complete???
Karen :)

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dlucier
Master Marine Consultant

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Virgin Islands (United Kingdom)
7583 Posts

Response Posted - 06/30/2003 : 20:41:15

Karen,

As was already mentioned, the problem is likely that the hatch flanges have worn away and now the hatch is riding on the raised portion of the cabintop instead of the teak rails.

As a temporary fix to this problem on my boat, last spring I went to the hardware store and purchased flat, solid nylon furniture slides. They look like small white plastic disks, about the size of a quarter and around an 1/8" to 3/16 inches thick, and are used on the legs of chairs to make them slide better. Anyway, I notched these disks down the center with the width matching the thickness of the hatch where it meets the raised rails. The depth of the cut was about half the thickness of the disk. Next, I pried up on the top slightly and inserted a disk under the forward edge of the hatch over each rail. The edge of the hatch goes into the slot on the disk locking it in place.

I've only put these on the forward portion of the hatch, because when opening or closing the hatch, I slightly lift that handle to take the pressure off of the rear. Anyway, this quick and easy mod resulted in no more squeaking and sticking until a more permanent fix can be made, but since this is working the rebuild project is now farther down the list.

Here's a link to a recent discussion on this topic.

http://www.catalina25-250.org/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=3515

<img src="http://www.catalina25-250.org/c25sm.gif" border=0>Don Lucier<img src="http://www.catalina25-250.org/c25sm.gif" border=0>
<img src="http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b2d904b3127cce9f7cd9ffdf1d0000003010" border=0>
North Star SR/FK

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karentc
1st Mate

Members Avatar

USA
68 Posts

Response Posted - 07/01/2003 : 08:54:22

Don:

Thanks so much for the advice and the link. I looked for the discussion yesterday and had no luck. What a great resource. Of course now my three ring binder is bulging with projects and which to do first????? Ah, the joys of boat ownership!!! ( And just when I thought I had home-ownership under my belt!)
Have a great day!

Karen :)

Edited by - on

ClamBeach
Master Marine Consultant

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3072 Posts

Response Posted - 07/01/2003 : 09:52:46

For some temporary peace and quiet without disassembling things, try some silicon spray lube... available at most hardware stores.

Currently maintaining two holes in the water...'77 Venture 23 and new to the family,
'78 Catalina 25

Edited by - on

Leon Sisson
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1893 Posts

Response Posted - 07/01/2003 : 11:36:33

Karen,<BLOCKQUOTE id=quote>quote:<hr height=1 noshade id=quote>How long did this take to complete?<hr height=1 noshade id=quote></BLOCKQUOTE id=quote>Maybe 6 to 12 hours actual working time, but spread out over maybe a week of evenings. Sanding was the most time consuming process. I usually wait about a day after applying a coat of epoxy, except that I may have piled on all, or most of, the layers of fiberglass tape in one session. Cetol needs about a day to cure between coats.

-- Leon Sisson

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Dave B
Admiral

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Mali
863 Posts

Response Posted - 07/01/2003 : 14:12:25

I agree that it's almost certainly the forward edge of the hatch against the non-skid on the pop-top. I also believe that Don's solution, even though he calls it temporary, is the best, The horizontal flanges on the sides of the hatch are not engineered to support it (especially with somebody stepping on it). The real support is on the forward and aft edges, where the hatch rides on the raised fiberglass "rails" on the poptop. Don added the nylon slides to those points on the forward edge, which are the logical load-bearing spots. That raises the forward edge of the hatch just enough to clear the non-skid, and takes the pressure off the poor little horizontal flanges on the sides. Reinforcing those flanges may be futile--one step on the hatch (while covering your mains'l, for example) may undo all of that work.

Another member of this group sanded the forward edge of the hatch, raising it off the non-skid. Don's solution is probably easier--it's almost exactly what I'm about to do.

Dave Bristle, 1985 C-25 #5032 "Passage" SR/FK/Dinette/Honda in SW CT

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captck
1st Mate

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USA
34 Posts

Response Posted - 07/04/2003 : 07:02:40

Hey try to shoot a few squirts of spray silicone in tracks. This will make that old hatch slide smooth and quiet for most of the season. When it gets testy , give it another shoot!

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