General Info: Removing FP Sliding Door

[bludden]

My wife and I have leapt into FP ownership this month, purchasing a 2006 Bahia in the Caribbean (Hull #157). We plan to cruise the WI next season before transiting the Canal and onwards home to Australia. The saloon sliding door is rather hard to slide and I'd like to remove it see why, but it doesn't appear to lift off as a normal household slider would. Anyone worked out how to remove it?..Cheers

[DotDun]

Never removed mine, but have put some zipper grease on the lower track a time or two. After doing so, you have to lock it open or it'll fly back and forth if sailing in beam seas.

[bludden]

Finally got the door out; you have to find one of the upper holes with the vertical locking bar that secures the slider in one of the part open positions to gain enough clearance over the bottom track to remove the door. Otherwise it's just a household roller door set up, right down to what appear to be plain steel needle bearings in the rollers !!...Greasing the track is probably not the go as it would promote sliding instead of rolling; but if it works for you spray away! New roller assemblies with SS sealed bearings were about $8 per...Cheers

[Palarran]

Congrat's on the boat. Enjoy sailing it.

Where did you get the parts?

Thanks for the info on getting the door out. Not that I need to, but it's good to know.

[bludden]

Got the parts via mail from a company here in Australia that specializes in such hardware...(Lincoln Sentry)...unfortunately I didn't take measurements of the roller assembly before I left the boat in the Carribean so I may have to reorder what I need if my guess isn't right. Cheers