Perspex washboards for a Hunter 23

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iainmillett

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Does anyone know of a company that will produce perspex washboards for a Hunter 23??

Sitting in the near dark as we have most of this summer hearing the rain lash down on the coachroof has led me in desperation to seek more light in the boat.



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just about any perspex retailer will have the facility to cut to a template - your old washboard should suffice, yellow pages will give you a list!

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Any plastic supplier will be able to cut these for you.

However they may be very expensive if, say your existing washboards are 12mm thick and you ask for 12mm perspex to replace them. My local place only has 6mm or 10mm and ordering larger will cost arm and two legs.

If they are just for letting light in when it rains alternatives then you can have it cut in 6mm which is much cheaper but have them stick two cm wide strips of 6mm to the edges so they are 12mm wide at the edge where they fit in your washboard channels.

Another alternative is just to buy a rectangle slightly smaller than your centre washboard and jigsaw out a hole an inch smaller allround than the perspex in the board and screw the perspex onto the washboard (with mastic) to create a window. Drill with blunt drill (the plastics man says) and make screw holes oversized.

Don't Hunter 23s have windows btw?



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We had just this done by a firm in colchester "while we waited" (2 hours...) Excellent job, reasonable cost (IIRC about £100). Project Plastics. No connection other than as a satisfied customer.

<hr width=100% size=1>Larry Botheras

Anderson 26 "Amber"
 
Was that for full thickness perspex ? Or thinner stuff with packed-out edges as bob26 suggests ? Was it clear or tinted ?

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Alternatives ....

Perspex is notoriously expensive for what it is and there are problems sometimes with the thickness required. Often people having to pad out the edges to fit the wahsboard channels.

I have seen others use twin-wall roofing sheet - the plain smooth sort - not the corrugated. But must admit I never asked then where they found this type .....

For tint - you can use the car window tint sheet that is self-adhesive if you already have clear etc.


If you DIY it .... which is what I would do, then you must cut slow and drill slow - as it tends to melt and reform behind the blade ..... having done it many times !!!!!


<hr width=100% size=1>Nigel ... and of course Yahoo groups :
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/gps-navigator/
 
Re: Alternatives ....

Hi Nigel

We've had our cockpit instrument plastic panel break and I'm looking at making a replacement.

Can you tell me if acrylic is easy to cut and bend? Also, someone said use a blunt drill bit. Why is that? Or is it easy to get somewhere that will make up a pattern part for me?

Thanks
Rob


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Why not consider a cockpit tent?

Adds another space for use and it's light up top. You get a closer view of the rain coming down too!

<hr width=100% size=1>Just 'cos a ship's got windows, doesn't mean anyone's looking out of them
 
Re: Alternatives ....

??????

Blunt drill bit does work and I found doesn't crack or craze the acrylic or perspex round the hole you drill ..... another point - stick masking tape or sellotape on sheet and mark hole - that way drill doesn't skip around marking sheet before cutting in.


<hr width=100% size=1>Nigel ... and of course Yahoo groups :
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/gps-navigator/
 
a piece of roll-up clear plastic as used for dinghy sail windows, baby buggies, tent windows etc would keep the rain out. an eyeletted hole in each corner and bungies to nearby objects and you're in business. for a more robust version, have a canvas/pvc border added. any sailmaker or boat upholsterer would do it.

crossed the atlantic on a boat that used one every time it rained, kept us dry, let in light and no hassle to push it aside to get in and out.

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Actuially thats a good idea ... the roll-up plastic.

I already have a blue canvas piece with press stud fitting to close off entrance .... leaving a 2" gap at top for ventilation. Similar idea with plastic panel in centre .....

The press-studs are actually a sort of raised washer held by the washboard channel guide screws .....


<hr width=100% size=1>Nigel ... and of course Yahoo groups :
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/gps-navigator/
 
Re: Alternatives ....

My opinion is that a "blunt" drill for perspex is a bit misleading. what happens is that the drills with their cutting angles designed for steel tend to snatch when used for perspex; they dig in and shatter it. 2 options are: decent toolmerchants should have twist drills suitable for perspex;
or tweak a standard one- 2 mods required using a grinding wheel ( even one of those titchy ones to go in drills from the DIY sheds would do)the standard tip is too pointy- it needs to be a flatter v and as an extra refinement the flutes that spiral up the drill meet the tip at too shallow an angle (bit like this / ) which is what causes the dig ins. Again you could use the grinding wheel to take off just a little bit of the flute end so that it's more like this L . which I'll grudgingly admit is rather like using a blunt drill in the first place, I suppose.
masking tape stops the drill skidding and it wouldn't do any harm to use something for cutting lubrication - parafin, light oil fairy liquid??
regards..spuddy.

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Re: hope this helps!!!

I work with acrylics; Perspex (trade name) and various other types of acrylic react differently. There is cast and extruded and also polycarbonate, for cutting some will melt if cut too fast, A router is ideal for cutting shapes and holes. We do use jigsaws, drills, & overhead hydraulic router; we use multiple wire line benders adjustable heat, two wires in parallel for slow bends, flame polisher for polished edges. If you clamp the piece you want to drill between two pieces and drill you should get a clean hole one tip after hole is drilled use a larger drill by hand to remove the sharp edges this will stop future cracks, also drill hole larger than required because acrylic expands and contracts with temperature changes.
Best to buy an off cut try Amari Plastics; they can supply everything including adhesives and technical advice.

Happy cutting
www.reflect-designs.co.uk


<hr width=100% size=1>Wishbone
Rolling, rolling, rolling keep them doggies moving!
Where’s me chuck wagon gone?
 
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