Photo request: Acrylic sliding companionway hatch?

[Zach]

Hi Guys,

I'm curious to see how the tracks are hung on the internal style companionway hatches on production boats.

The picture I'm after, is where you have an inner smoked acrylic and an outer fiberglass sliding hatch for offshore work.

Most of the hatches I've handled are 1/2 inch Acrylic, but I'm curious if the edges are dressed and if the acrylic rides in a fiberglass channel or a metal one, and how the drains are handled to keep rainwater out of the interior and beyond the drop boards.


Thanks!

Zach

[er9]

I have a metal Bomar sliding hatch with acrylic on a small run production boat. its their offshore version which slides in metal tracks. i dont have a fiberglass hatch that slides over that though. just slides into the doghouse.

can snap some photos when i get to the boat tomorrow if you think it will offer any help.

the metal tracks are screwed directly to the coach roof offset about and inch or so to each side of the companionway. pretty beefy metal tracks that have an 'L' shaped interior groove. The hatch has an 'L' shaped side that slides in and locks the hatch into the metal track. The outer companionway facing the cockpit then has 3/4" hardwood face plates attached and overlapping the rear facing edge of the metal tracks locking the hatch in place. There is a slight gap between the wood and end of track water drains to which drips down the edges of the companionway opening between the drop boards out to the cockpit.

i honestly have never taken the boat offshore in heavy weather to see how it all performs but the boats had a good reputation offshore and the builders a good reputation for building offshore boats. i have sparayed the entire area with high pressure water from the hose when cleaning a million times and have only seen water come in a tiny bit from the base of the drop boards. never seen the hatch itself leak yet.

at some point though when i'm upgrading the boat for serious offshore work and am re-doing the hatch i want to build in a stout aluminum framed door that takes the place of the drop boards. the hatch i plan to leave as it seems very robust, just plan on replacing the plexi with 3/4" polycarbonate. The thicker polycarb that i set in the frame will stick up higher than the top of the hatch frame. this portion i will just bevel back at a 45 deg angle prior to gluing in to remove that sharp edge.

[Zach]

I'd appreciate that!

What I have now is are aluminum extruded C channels facing vertically, with a flange narrow enough to hold the sliding hatch captive, and if you aren't paying attention have just enough room to grab a finger if you use them as a hand rail on the way up or down the companionway. Knuckle busters...

I'm curious how the drains are sorted on the flat acrylic style hatches.

Cheers,

Zach