Replacement washboards

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neil1967

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The wooden washboards on our 1987 Oyster 406 are well past their best and need replacing. I have decided to use acrylic, probably bronze tint, but I'm not sure what thickness is best/necessary. The wooden boards are 19mm thick, so on the assumption that the new boards will be somewhat thinner, I am going to have to change the runners anyway. We will hopefully do some ocean sailing, so I want something reasonably strong, but there's no point in being over the top - would 10mm do, or should I go for 12mm?

Also, I would be grateful for any recommendations for a suitable lock - I know many modern boats use cam-locks to prevent the hatch being slid open - are they really strong enough to act as a deterrent - we all know if someone really wants to get in they will.

Thanks
 
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My last boat had a set of clear plastic washboards that were quite flimsy but had been 'framed', for want of a better term. Seemed to add significantly to their rigidity and meant they fitted the original runners.
 
For what it's worth, I did a similar thing on our Moody 31 but I think I used clear polycarbonate rather than acrylic, and added a layer of reflective film that happened to be on sale at Lidl.
This has massively improved light in the cabin, though the film isn't totally opaque when lit from within.
I added strips to the side to allow them to fit in the runners.
I don't know if 8mm polycarbonate is suitable for ocean use. I think so, they seem very stiff.
The other thing you will need is a means of securing them (other than the sliding roof) so they won't fall out if you invert.
 
lampshuk said:
For what it's worth, I did a similar thing on our Moody 31 but I think I used clear polycarbonate rather than acrylic, and added a layer of reflective film that happened to be on sale at Lidl.
This has massively improved light in the cabin, though the film isn't totally opaque when lit from within.
I added strips to the side to allow them to fit in the runners.
I don't know if 8mm polycarbonate is suitable for ocean use. I think so, they seem very stiff.
The other thing you will need is a means of securing them (other than the sliding roof) so they won't fall out if you invert.
Click to expand...

10mm polycarbonate is more than enough for strength and stability. Useful to make in two parts (2/3 and 1/3) with the cut at 45 degrees downwards. With mine I added a teak batten to the lower edge of the upper panel to cover the cut and shoot bolts to hold the lower panel in place when sailing.
 
Tranona said:
Useful to make in two parts (2/3 and 1/3) with the cut at 45 degrees downwards.
Click to expand...

Kindred Spirit's washboards were made with an angled cut like this, and rain still trickled through when moored with the wind astern. In plastic I'd suggest cutting a rebate on each half so that the two parts overlap by half an inch or so. Of course you do need to allow for this when laying out the dimensions (guess what I forgot to do the first time :) )

Pete
 
Tranona said:
... and shoot bolts to hold the lower panel in place when sailing.
Click to expand...

Bolts on the outside, going in edge-wise to the teak strip?
I have been pondering how to allow the securing mechanism to be opened and secured from either inside or outside. No bright ideas yet. The best I have come up with is shock cord on a hook securing the lower WB downwards, and another one holding the top WB in place, either to the lower WB, or to the sides of the companionway. Sounds fiddly to me. I haven't tried to implement it. No imminent plans to cross Biscay yet ;-)
 
Replying to my own suggestion:
It's probably only necessary to secure the top washboard.

On Drifter the WB's fit into a rebate, with a slot formed by stainless steel strip bolted across the rebate.
I could drill through the SS strip and into the edge of the front face of the WB. Then I would insert a peg through the strip into the WB.
That would only be directly accessible from the outside, but someone inside could reach over the top.

Could even use a "wing-bolt" rather than a peg, and tap a thread in the WB.
Getting very elaborate.
 
I replaced mine with 10mm black acrylic (non see through) and fitted a stainless steel vent, I am very pleased with them and they look like they were factory fitted but they are heavier than the original 20mm ply ones and I am very careful not to let them fall on a corner as they would probably take out the gel coat.
 
Daydream believer said:
10 mm polycarbonate would be better than acrylic. Any plastic sheet will get scratched & go opaque over time so I would not bother with tint but perhaps a layer of tinted film for the first couple of years.
Click to expand...

Mine are clear 10mm and are not scratched or opaque, it would take many years to go opaque. Even if they do get scratched it's easy to polish them back to crystal clear. Problem with clear is a lack of privacy, so i would fit tinted. In fact, i plan to change mine.
 
prv said:
Kindred Spirit's washboards were made with an angled cut like this, and rain still trickled through when moored with the wind astern. In plastic I'd suggest cutting a rebate on each half so that the two parts overlap by half an inch or so. Of course you do need to allow for this when laying out the dimensions (guess what I forgot to do the first time :) )

Pete
Click to expand...

That was the purpose of the teak batten on the bottom of the upper board which covered the cut. Never had a drop of water get past it.
 
lampshuk said:
Bolts on the outside, going in edge-wise to the teak strip?
I have been pondering how to allow the securing mechanism to be opened and secured from either inside or outside. No bright ideas yet. The best I have come up with is shock cord on a hook securing the lower WB downwards, and another one holding the top WB in place, either to the lower WB, or to the sides of the companionway. Sounds fiddly to me. I haven't tried to implement it. No imminent plans to cross Biscay yet ;-)
Click to expand...

The bolts were on the inside. The main purpose of having a 1/3 height lower board was to effectively raise the bridge deck which was otherwise rather low. Originally the board was one huge heavy piece as on most Bavarias at the time.

There are many ways of restraining washboards often involving cord and jamming cleats - often fiddly!
 
Our washboards are 10mm acrylic, grey tinted. The joint is cut at 45 degrees and we've not had a significant problem with rain even when the wind is from astern. As far a privacy is concerned, we spend most summers with the washboard out to promote a throughflow of air so we have a curtain of light material (think it's a modified sarong) which goes across the companionway on a bit of bungee cord. You can't see through it from outside even with the cabin lights on at night but it so lightweight that it doesn't stop the airflow.
We lock the washboards with a bolt on the top board which goes through a matching hole in the sliding hatch and is secured with a padlock. As a secondary lock there's the micky mouse camlock provided on the original washboards by Bavaria: only use is to secure the boat from the inside. It wouldn't stop anyone trying the break in but the noise of it being forced would wake you up.....
 
OK, many thanks for all your input - 10mm tinted acrylic sounds OK. I would welcome any thoughts about ventilation in the hatch - the current one has wooden slats, but I've seen many just with sloping holes - or is this just a waste of time - when we're aboard (typically) the hatch will be open, and for when we're not, we have 4 dorade vents.
 
We replaced our old pair of 19mm washboards with a single clear 12mm washboard. We have a threshold to step over so a bit like having the first washboard fixed. This makes a single new washboard relatively easy to manage. The light from the clear washboard is great but being in the tropics we rarely fit it. We have a s/s security bar that we tend to fit when we leave the boat. This provides good ventilation when at anchor
 
I would always use wood for a number of reasons.

Firstly, plastic isn't secure, visually or physically. A good boot and the boards will either crack or deflect out of the runners. Secondly, I have been able to see inside the boats I have seen with them and this can't be good security or privacy wise. Thirdly, wood looks nicer.
 
You wouldnt kick in 12mm. The surrounding wood frame would splinter first. We have a curtain on the inside so nobody can look in. Wood soon looks tatty. An external security bar ensures that any passing thief chooses you unprotected boat imstead of mine :)
 
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