No see um hatch covers

[Celestialsailor]

You know you're getting close when your projects come down to things like No See Um/Mosquito hatch covers. Well, really, it's an education so far. I'm learning that there is a difference between Mosquito mesh size and No See Um net size. I'm also thinking Nylon is a bit stronger than Polyester.
What I cannot figure out is how to lay the oversized screens (once I sew them up) over the overhead hatch. I though of stainless chain sewn or hemmed into the perimeter of the screen but that looks dollar intensive. I've also thought of piping (perhaps webbing tube) filled with sand.
Then I thought well...lets ask the people who have gone before me.

[SailFastTri]

Check out oceanair screens. I have no affiliation, but my boat came with them, and they are the golden standard. A little pricey but they look and operate superbly.


I would also suggest you consider a full cockpit enclosure for when the flies or other insect become unbearable. We constructed one from a garage door mesh screen covering (about $25 online) and it saved our sanity quite a few times when the biting flies were hatching and swarming all over the boat (they hatch in the water). Get some curtain weight beads and sew them into the lower hem. Use clips or snaps or clothespins or Velcro or zippers etc. at the tops. Anything that works.

[UNCIVILIZED]

Make frame to friction fit on inside of hatch frame, & attach mesh to frame. Make frame from; stainless or bronze wire, plywood, high $ timber, plastic, etc. Insert frame into hatch opening from below.

Make pretty frame for inside of boat which totally covers hatch opening, & attach mesh to frame. Affix hatch to overhead with; detachable/take apart hinges, barrel bolts, turn buttons, etc.

Make soft mesh panels to fit hatch opening. Attach velcro to all 4 sides of both mesh panel, & overhead around perimeter of hatch. Add trim to edges of mesh panel as desired, using fabrics, or whatever strikes your fancy.

Make oversized mesh panels to fit over hatch openings on deck. Add weight to perimeter of mesh panels to keep them on place.

Use Visa card & yellow pages to hire out making panels

[SV DestinyAscen]

No need to create perimeter to affix cover.


Make a rigid frame around the perimeter of the screen. Put a hole in middle of screen, run a line through a friction adjusting knob w/ a knot. Affix another end to a suction up. Suction cup to hatch.

Done.

[FSMike]

Originally Posted by UNCIVILIZED

-----Make soft mesh panels to fit hatch opening. Attach velcro to all 4 sides of both mesh panel, & overhead around perimeter of hatch. Add trim to edges of mesh panel as desired, using fabrics, or whatever strikes your fancy-----.

Those are easy to remove when the 0300 rain squall necessitates closing the hatch. They are also much easier to stow away than anything with a frame.

[Celestialsailor]

Originally Posted by UNCIVILIZED

Make frame to friction fit on inside of hatch frame, & attach mesh to frame. Make frame from; stainless or bronze wire, plywood, high $ timber, plastic, etc. Insert frame into hatch opening from below.

Make pretty frame for inside of boat which totally covers hatch opening, & attach mesh to frame. Affix hatch to overhead with; detachable/take apart hinges, barrel bolts, turn buttons, etc.

Make soft mesh panels to fit hatch opening. Attach velcro to all 4 sides of both mesh panel, & overhead around perimeter of hatch. Add trim to edges of mesh panel as desired, using fabrics, or whatever strikes your fancy.

Make oversized mesh panels to fit over hatch openings on deck. Add weight to perimeter of mesh panels to keep them on place.

Use Visa card & yellow pages to hire out making panels

Originally Posted by SV DestinyAscen

No need to create perimeter to affix cover.


Make a rigid frame around the perimeter of the screen. Put a hole in middle of screen, run a line through a friction adjusting knob w/ a knot. Affix another end to a suction up. Suction cup to hatch.

Done.

Do either of you have pictures of doing this?

[Jim Cate]

cs, one thing to consider: we found that no-seeum mesh was very effective at screening out the sand flies, midges, mozzies etc. unfortunately, the mesh size seemed to be smaller than air molecules, for they essentially stopped air flow. We ended up discarding them.

Ours used weighted hems to cover the hatches from the outside. Worked ok. For regular fly screens (ones that actually admitted some breeze) we tried velcro on the inside, but could never get the velcro to stick to the hatch surrounds long enough to be useful.

On this boat, we made screens from regular flyscreen material, and glued magnetic strips along all four sides. Glued and screwed additional mag strips to the hatch surrounds, et voila! the screens stick up magically, are easy to remove when required and look ok. if aesthetics get in the way, a timber frame around the screen would work fine and look good, too. The magnetic material is the stuff they stick signs onto car doors... most sign shops can provide it for small bucks.

Jim

[SV DestinyAscen]

I don't know how to post pic - Ill send pm

[donradcliffe]

For the weighted perimeter screen around the main sliding hatch, I used an old 3/4" dock line. Worked fine.

I agree with Jim--no seeum screen is too fine a mesh. If you spray the regular mozzie net with deet, it will keep the noseeums out.

[Celestialsailor]

Originally Posted by SV DestinyAscen

I don't know how to post pic - Ill send pm

Got it...thanx

Originally Posted by donradcliffe

For the weighted perimeter screen around the main sliding hatch, I used an old 3/4" dock line. Worked fine.

I agree with Jim--no seeum screen is too fine a mesh. If you spray the regular mozzie net with deet, it will keep the noseeums out.

Ok thanx...The rope was heavy enough?

[RaymondR]

Originally Posted by Celestialsailor

You know you're getting close when your projects come down to things like No See Um/Mosquito hatch covers. Well, really, it's an education so far. I'm learning that there is a difference between Mosquito mesh size and No See Um net size. I'm also thinking Nylon is a bit stronger than Polyester.
What I cannot figure out is how to lay the oversized screens (once I sew them up) over the overhead hatch. I though of stainless chain sewn or hemmed into the perimeter of the screen but that looks dollar intensive. I've also thought of piping (perhaps webbing tube) filled with sand.
Then I thought well...lets ask the people who have gone before me.

Sew in 1/2" yacht braid.

[Hud3]

If you go with weighted perimeters on your screens, think about using a hefty size of electrical solder for the weight. Very dense, so smaller diameter than rope or other options, and also flexible.

[capngeo]

We velcro'd the inside of the overhead, so the screen is below the hatch. The hatch still functions as a wind scoop, and the velcro can be ripped away in seconds from below to close the hatch in a squall.

[wsmurdoch]

Originally Posted by Celestialsailor

Make frame to friction fit on inside of hatch frame, & attach mesh to frame. Make frame from; stainless or bronze wire, plywood, high $ timber, plastic, etc. Insert frame into hatch opening from below.

Do either of you have pictures of doing this?

The wooden framed screens were cut from plywood, grooved for screen spline, sanded, stained, and varnished. The screen was attached to the frame with spline. Velvet ribbon glued to the edge makes a bug proof seal when the screens are pressed into the frames of the opening ports or overhead hatches. They are held in by friction as the cast porthole or hatch frames are tapered. Screw eyes in the screen frames provide a way to gasp them when pressing them into the porthole or hatch frames.

The square wooden frames go into 18x18 Bomar hatches. The large and small oval frames go into oval bronze ports. The one aluminum framed screen (made from Home Depot stuff) goes into one small Bomar hatch what has wood trim around its edge and is held in place with two brass turnbuttons.

The screening is for mosquitoes and flies. For no-see-ums we drape the screened frames with small mesh before inserting them, then enjoy (?) the complete lack of air.

We also have similar screens for the vertical and horizontal openings of the companionway hatch.

[CREX]

Tried screens and Velcro. Best solution, and lasted 8 years before selling boat so still might be working, is a simple line of silicone and then apply velcro, preferably 1.5" minimum width. Never ever had a problem. All that time lived aboard and in Fl.

As previously mentioned air doesn't like to pass. Good luck.