Making new washboards

Ruffles

Ruffles

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Joined
26 Feb 2004
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Boat: Portsmouth, Us: Stewkley
www.soulbury.demon.co.uk
My original Moody washboards are vaneered ply. Beautifully made but someone has sanded through the veneer.

I will make new ones but has anyone any ideas on improving the design? They are basically two seperate tapered pieces with a louvered vent in the top bit and the usual barrel lock. There's no window which would be nice. There's also no way of stowing them or even clipping them together to stop them getting scratched. It would be nice if I could hinge them together but the taper precludes this.

I know I could replace the lot with perspex but I have some iroko in the garage that needs using up....
 
The lateral join between the two should be sloping downwards to the outside, for drainage, and a bit of beading added to make a lip on the upper one.

Enabling them to clip together would be cunning and is just the incentive I need to make a new set for my boat.
 
For storage make some matching tapered carriers and fix them in the cocpit locker or hanging locker that way you just slide them in, they are easily available and if you have perspex windows let into them they don't get scratched.
 
I have made 3 different wash boards for my new yacht.

1) 20 mm thk ply with white formica on the inside and vertical strips of 8 mm thk iroko glued with a 5 mm gap filled with black sekaflex in a strip deck effect.

2) 8 mm thl polycarbonite in a stainless angle frome to stop polycarb flexing out of the wash board slots.

3) stainless frame 25mm by 6 mm with 12mm dis bars running vertical to allow air in but not intruders.

for storage have slots simulat to companion way slots inside cabin under nav station desk. Washboards stored turned 90° so slots are parallel being top & bottom of wash boards.
 
You could make an additional washboard (either the same as the top or the bottom one) out of Perspex to use as a 'window' when you are on the boat but fit the wooden ones when the boat is not occupied. If the top one was Perspex, you wouldn't need to fit any lock as you would be on board at the time.
 
I did them last year & epoxied them. The bottom one is still great. The top one however has lost a lot of its epoxy & I need to re-do over the winter. It hasn't peeled but just seemed to disappear. This is the second time I've had the problem. I've had lots of advice and followed it but still seem to have a problem applying epoxy.
 
I hate this kind of answer but here goes:
You say your washboards are well made - have you considered re veneering them? It would save a lot of work. Should not be too expensive even if you had to have it done.
I seldom use washboards when underway, after fitting a acrylic fabic screen which can be let down over the companionway. When not in use it sits, out of the way, on top of the sliding hatch. It has a large window so lets in lots of light and is mounted on press studs so it can be removed if required. Also very handy when moored and a shower sets in or a breeze is disrupting domestic arrangements.
 
I store my washboards in a pocket on the dodgers, one pocket on each of the dodgers, they are out of the way and are easy to get at if you need them, they have stayed put even in a lumpy sea (f7/8)..
 
[ QUOTE ]
I hate this kind of answer but here goes:
You say your washboards are well made - have you considered re veneering them? It would save a lot of work.

[/ QUOTE ]
I would have to replace the solid edge pieces if I did that - easier to make new I think. I have enough timber and it's not that big a job.

Thanks
 
I woke up early this morning and lay thinking about this. On reflection it was a dumb suggestion.
Re veneering is not a problem but if the raw edge is left it is susceptible to damage and moisture ingress. This is why this type of job is lipped or set within a raised frame. You could re veneer and then lip them but it starts to get a bit silly. If the washboards are framed you stand a chance but really need to get the frames apart to do a good job, not easy.
Wish I'd kept my gob shut.
 
I had the first set of wash boards veneered first by a local firm. They did is using their standard glue which turned out to be non waterproof and in 2 years the veneer cane off and that was why I used 8 mm thick strips and used waterproof PU glue and filled 5mm gaps with sekaflex
 
" It would be nice if I could hinge them together but the taper precludes this."

Mine are tapered and hinged together. The hinge is a ss piano hinge screwed onto a teak batten which makes it thick enough to clear the channel of the hatch when folded.
I plan to put a 2.5mm teak veneer on them this month - I didn't have time when I made them 2 years ago, so they are loose in the channel.
 
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