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Companionway Cover Screech

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Dave Bristle
Master Marine Consultant

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Djibouti
10005 Posts

Initially Posted - 02/15/2004 : 21:04:51

It occurred to me that I should mention that I found a simple, cheap, very effective solution to a problem many people have complained about--the screeching sound when you slide the companionway hatch open and closed. The sound is from the forward edge of the hatch rubbing on the nonskid of the pop-top (or deck if you don't have a pop-top.

My solution involves some nylon furniture feet I found at Home Dopey, with black rubber gaskets around the top of each foot. The gaskets are designed to hold the feet on round furniture legs. I snipped a couple of 1/4" pieces out of each gasket to fit the forward edge of the hatch where it rides on the fiberglass ridge on the pop-top. Then, I lifted the hatch as much as the teak side rails would allow, slipped a nylon/rubber foot under the edge and on top of the ridge, positioned the cutouts around the edge of the hatch, and then lowered the hatch. One "foot" now rides between each of the two ridges and the forward edge of the hatch. The hatch slides perfectly and silently. The rubber gaskets may deteriorate in the sun some day, but then I'll just install the other two that are now in a drawer in the galley. (The package had four feet.)

BTW, I've read about some people beefing up the sides of the hatch that fit into the slots in the teak rails. While that may solve the problem, I suspect it may be temporary, since those side flanges are not properly engineered to bear any weight on the hatch (such as when you step on it while flaking the main). The weight ends up being borne by the forward and aft edges that ride on the deck ridges. The "feet" may be the better "permanent" solution, and is certainly the simpler one.

Sometimes, it's the little things...

Association Port Captain, Mystic, CT
Past member and DPO of C-25 #5032
Now on Eastern 27 Sarge (but still sailing) and posting as "Stinkpotter".

Passage, Mystic, and Sarge--click to enlarge.

Edited by - on

seastream
Navigator

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USA
242 Posts

Response Posted - 02/15/2004 : 21:26:36

I had the same screech and was told that 'skin so soft' of all things, applied to the tracks, would silence the screech. It worked!

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Dave Bristle
Master Marine Consultant

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Djibouti
10005 Posts

Response Posted - 02/15/2004 : 21:52:31

Seastream... I tried waxing everything, and the screech wasn't from the tracks. Mine (and some others' I know about) was from the forward edge of the hatch against the nonskid. Raising the hatch just a little was the key. The nylon feet did it.

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dlucier
Master Marine Consultant

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Virgin Islands (United Kingdom)
7583 Posts

Response Posted - 02/15/2004 : 21:59:09

I put a couple of notched nylon furniture slides on my poptop and it has been screechless for the past two years.

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ClamBeach
Master Marine Consultant

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3072 Posts

Response Posted - 02/16/2004 : 10:00:24

A quick spritz of silicone spray (which is a handy thing to have around anyway) will stop it for a long time. Adding the nylon slides are the more permanent solution.

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Frank Hopper
Past Commodore

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Pitcairn Island
6776 Posts

Response Posted - 02/16/2004 : 13:03:44

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by dlucier
 I put a couple of notched nylon furniture slides on my poptop and it has been screechless for the past two years.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
Please post a picture, I cannot visualize this.

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dlucier
Master Marine Consultant

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Virgin Islands (United Kingdom)
7583 Posts

Response Posted - 02/16/2004 : 15:12:32

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by fhopper@mac.com
 <blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by dlucier
 I put a couple of notched nylon furniture slides on my poptop and it has been screechless for the past two years.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
Please post a picture, I cannot visualize this.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

I don't have a picture handy, but it goes something like this...

The flanges on my hatch were worn down which allowed the sliding hatch to rub against the raised fiberglass channels that are on the cabintop just inboard of each teak hatch rail. This fiberglass-to-fiberglass rubbing caused the fingernail to chalkboard like screech.

To alleviate this noise, I went to the hardware store and bought a package of plain old nylon furniture slides. These slides are about the size of quarter and maybe a 1/4" thick. I cut a 1/4" wide channel/notch across the slide to about half the depth of the nylon slide. To install all you do is lift the forward part of the hatch and tuck a slide, notch side up, on each side of the hatch directly on the raised fiberglass channels. The forward lip of the hatch is then inserted into the notch on the slide to lock it in place. Now the nylon slide is smoothly riding on the raised channel instead of the fiberglass hatch and not only is the screech gone, but the hatch moves much easier.

Simple, quick, and cheap.

Edited by - dlucier on 02/16/2004 15:16:40

Dave Bristle
Master Marine Consultant

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Djibouti
10005 Posts

Response Posted - 02/16/2004 : 21:40:21

That's virtually what I did, but my nylon slides had the rubber pieces on top, which I notched with scissors. (No nails or steel "cups" to remove.) My observation is that this solution takes the load off the flanges on the edge of the hatch, which are not well-designed for bearing any weight and tend to wear down to almost nothing from sliding on the teak. Now those flanges merely prevent the lid from flying up--a task for which they are adequately designed.

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Notice: The advice given on this site is based upon individual or quoted experience, yours may differ.
The Officers, Staff and members of this site only provide information based upon the concept that anyone utilizing this information does so at their own risk and holds harmless all contributors to this site.