Re: Cockpit winch handle box replacements.
Don,
H&L Marine was the OEM for many teak parts on our boats and I positively know that to be the case with the winch handle boxes on the E31. There were four models on the E31 made by them, the first three being designed with a flat box bottom that trapped water which eventually rotted them out. The fourth design had (has) a slanted bottom promoting better drain through the scuppers built in to them in the case of all the designs.
The company is still alive and well and can best be reached by phone at 310.638.8746 here in SoCal. They are still making the latter design which in the case of my boat with the rotted third design ones, is a drop-in replacement.
They're an old world company who have conceded to modern communication demands by purchasing a fax machine. You can't email them and they don't have a web site. But you can call them to request a lovely catalog consisting single loose pages of beautiful color photographs of their vast product line. They'll take your address and within a few days a sizable package will show up on your door with the requested pages contained within.
Why not measure your box(es) before calling them to see if what they have are the same as yours and mine and other E31 owners. I have one in both port and starboard backrests by the way. You might want to create more storage space in your boat too at the same time if the room is there by purchasing two of them. Their quality is of a pretty high standard and they have even custom made a few parts for me that were perfect in every way compared to the drawing I sent them.
Hint: Despite the sloping bottoms, I have taken the added precaution to have Sunbrella covers made that snap on and off at each of the four corners of the boxes fascia.
Good luck and keep others posted as to your success, especially interested E38 owners suffering from the same problem.
Regards,
Glyn Judson, E31 hull #55, Marina del Rey, CA
