how would you fix this?

[Jcolman]

My boat is looking a bit shabby around the hatch. I'd like to fix it. What would you do to make it look better? Obviously I could sand it, fill the cracks then repaint it, but I have no idea as to what the original color was so matching the color might be an issue.

[Lake-Effect]

Paint-matching is pretty easy these days. Buy/borrow a sample book from a good paint store, or bring a decent-sized chip to the store. Yes we're talking "house-paint" but Practical Boat Owner magazine claims good results with good quality acrylic (latex) paint on boat interiors.

If you prefer marine paints, just repaint the whole ceiling, It's not that big a boat

Another idea is trimming with wood or architectural aluminum.

[David M]

I would sand it, fair it out with an epoxy filler and paint it. Use a high quality oil base paint. I have never cared for latex paint on a boat....I'm just traditional that way.

Tape off the bad spots and don't worry too much about color matching. There are a million different shades of white.

It appears that you have water getting in to that wood. Your paint will never hold up if you don't stop the source of the water.

[Stu Jackson]

Teak trim.

[zeehag]

epoxy and paint if i didnt have to replace the wood ... fix leaks first by all means or this will get worse.
and then i would trim it in a pretty and hard wood.

[David M]

The teak trim appears good enough to be sanded down to bare wood and varnished with a clear varnish, unless you like that really dark look.

[Island_Moose]

+1 teak trim, 1/4" x 2" flat. Take some time with a bevel gauge and get the joint perfect, round over the joint and varnish the heck out of it.

[Uncle Bob]

Originally Posted by Island_Moose

+1 teak trim, 1/4" x 2" flat. Take some time with a bevel gauge and get the joint perfect, round over the joint and varnish the heck out of it.

+1 or if you want something smart and utilitarian, folded stainless fitted to the angle and fastened with urethane adhesive and minimal fasteners.

[Lepke]

When I grew up there was no latex paint. I'm sorry there is now. On a boat, never. Latex doesn't stop water, it slows it down. It's water clean up. Figure it out.
Most better marine stores sell a biocide that can be mixed in any paint and it kills mildew and mold. Mold never grows on paint that has it.
Lepke

[Boracay]

My understanding is that cracks represent some kind of structural failure. Filler and paint may look good for a while but the problem is very likely to recur.

Why not take the time to work out why the problem has occurred in the first place and then to fix the problem. Once that is done then filler and paint are in order.

[David_Old_Jersey]

Originally Posted by Uncle Bob

+1 or if you want something smart and utilitarian, folded stainless fitted to the angle and fastened with urethane adhesive and minimal fasteners.

I would go with the fill and paint approach and not worry too much about the colour match .......on the edges (only) I would add some L shaped trim, likely either plastic or aluminium as easier to work with. And cheap - to bugger up! Apart from making the edge neater and covering q few sins , having a clearly different material between New (paint) and old finish means the contrast between the two no longer matters....whether the New trim is in white or something entirely different.........if you cant hide it - make it into a feature!

[Suijin]

Hard to tell what that crack is from. Offhand it looks like stress, not water. Is there a winch nearby or the traveller or some other source of force on the cabin top? I would probably just fill it and paint and if it comes back, consider a more extensive investigation/repair.

One option, if you're concerned about color matching, is to purposely choose a slightly different, "accent" color. If you tape it off nicely it will look intentional.

If I were you I would strip and redo your companionway varnish BEFORE you repaint, as it will be easy with a heat gun. The state of the varnish is more to blame for that area looking shabby than the paint. Also looks like the bulkhead behind you in the photo is in need of some attention too.

Isn't it great how you post a question and we all give you lots of other things to do, as well? lol

[Delancey]

Just a wag, but if I had to guess the horizontal cracks are the joint line between the headliner and the deck. Another guess is that if you look on the outside of aluminum rail(?) that the companionway hatch slides on, you will see fasteners which hold the whole assembly together, the likely source of water infiltration which has caused the cracking as a result of many years of freeze/thaw cycles. Maybe there is some rotten wood in there to boot.

As mentioned, if you don't fix the problem it will never go away. Could be a lot of work, so maybe the cosmetic solutions suggested will suit your needs.

[Delancey]

A quick look at your photobucket page reveals said mechanical fasteners. They might not be holding the whole thing together but they're leaking water into the deck. If you're in it for the long haul I would recommend pulling the rails followed by grinding and filling as required before re-bedding the rails, then you can worry about matching paint colors. Otherwise cover it with some wood trim and go sailing!

[Azul]

My companionway hatch was leaking, so I took it apart and restored it, I thought it would be a few hour job and it ended up taking many, many hours. I agree with Delancey that the "horizontal" cracks are from water infiltration. Your hatch was probably trimmed with wood initially, but the silicone or other sealer broke down and water infiltrated into the deck core and rotted the trim wood, it is a common place for water to become trapped. It looks like filler was used to repair this and the trim wasn't replaced. Maybe the leak that caused the infiltration has already been repaired, but it would be safest to take the components apart, check for rot and reseal everything. Take the time to dremel out the core between the skins and slather in a layer of thickened epoxy, this will prevent future rot from occurring if your hatch leaks again.

If you just paint over that without removing the "soft stuff" it will just come right back.

Those curved cracks on the headliner are stress cracks. They might be caused from removing the wood trim which stiffens the edge, but more likely are evidence that water infiltration damaged the deck core. I agree with others that replacing the wood trim would be fairly inexpensive and present a better finished appearance.