gabriel
Live free or die hard
I’m posting this it as an idea for a way to create a super strong and rigid box or frame without the use of joints or fasteners:
Last season my mast came to rest on the hatch and cracked the brittle teak and acrylic.
I wanted to make the new hatch rigid as rigid as possible but I don’t have any experience or knowledge of wood joinery, so I decided to take another approach. I would sandwich some 3/4‘ x 1’ mahogany between plywood frames made of 1/2” Baltic birch, giving me a perfect frame height of 2” and making the corners essentially one piece instead of a joint. I used a similar method to make the companionway hatch and it has held up very well.
Probably an overkill, but I ended up drilling and epoxy in eight fiberglass dowels at the corners and centers. Not shown.
Also not show, I glued 1/16“ G10 plate along the bottom (as a water barrier) and back (as a backing plate for the hinge bolts) and coated everything with epoxy as a full barrier coat.
Finished frame just faired and primed ready for final coat of single component marine enamel
I noticed the hatch floor isn't perfectly straight , so I added these 1/16th tabs to support the middle. Could the hatch floor purposely have been made this way to keep water from pooling there? If yes, it’s testament to Ericson attention to detail. Amazing.
Next I will order the acrylic lens, but I can’t decide. Maybe you all can help me:
Last season my mast came to rest on the hatch and cracked the brittle teak and acrylic.
I wanted to make the new hatch rigid as rigid as possible but I don’t have any experience or knowledge of wood joinery, so I decided to take another approach. I would sandwich some 3/4‘ x 1’ mahogany between plywood frames made of 1/2” Baltic birch, giving me a perfect frame height of 2” and making the corners essentially one piece instead of a joint. I used a similar method to make the companionway hatch and it has held up very well.
Probably an overkill, but I ended up drilling and epoxy in eight fiberglass dowels at the corners and centers. Not shown.
Also not show, I glued 1/16“ G10 plate along the bottom (as a water barrier) and back (as a backing plate for the hinge bolts) and coated everything with epoxy as a full barrier coat.
Finished frame just faired and primed ready for final coat of single component marine enamel
I noticed the hatch floor isn't perfectly straight , so I added these 1/16th tabs to support the middle. Could the hatch floor purposely have been made this way to keep water from pooling there? If yes, it’s testament to Ericson attention to detail. Amazing.
Next I will order the acrylic lens, but I can’t decide. Maybe you all can help me:
- the original acrylic was 3/8“ but I wanted to use 1/4 instead, this was the reason I added the support in the middle. Any thoughts? Should stick with with 3/8’?
- the original was frosted but I can’t decide on clear or tinted. Any thoughts on this or just preference?
- the original lens was screwed-in all around but I only plan to put one bolt in the middle and use the holding power of glazing adhesive around the perimeter. Dumb idea?
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