help needed on a E29 hatch

[Randy Rutledge]

Has anyone removed the plywood inner surface of the companionway hatch on an E29?

My hatch is in decent condition except for the plywood on the under side. I am refinishing the hatch and would like to replace the plywood. It appears everything is bonded together not just screwed. The strips of teak on the exterior are screwed and plugged to cross braces and caulked, the plywood only seems to be set in a groove in the surrounding frame of the hatch.

If I remove one end of the hatch will the plywood panel slide out????

 

[cjmcfall]

Hatch

Randy,

I had the same problem with my 29. I fixed it last winter. My plywood on the underside of the hatch was soft and discolored, but only in the corners.

I did not remove all the plywood, I only cut out the rotten portions. I used a chisel to remove any soft wood, then I used new wood and epoxy to build the voids back to level. After I had a level and flat surface I bought some Lace Wood laminate from my local wood craft store and laminated the entire underside of the Hatch. It turned out really nice and looks much better then before.

I have had a few people actually comment on how nice it looks. Who would have thought you could get comments on the underside of your hatch.

I don't have photos of the process, but I can take a photo of the completed project if you would like. Just let me know.

Good luck, C