Sliding hatch.

[Paul HD]

Hi,
I have a Drascombe long boat cruiser. It is a great boat but I would love to have a sliding hatch to make entry and exit to the cabin a little easier, as I am not very supple and 6 foot 4.?
Can anyone recommend a workshop that would do this type of work?

I could sell and get a Drascombe Coaster which has a sliding hatch but I much prefer the bigger cockpit of the LBC.

Look forward to your thoughts.

 

[neil_s]

Instead of a sliding hatch - what about a hinged lid? I have done this on two different boats and the arrangement works well and is a lot simpler to do. There is no half way open, though. An even more simple idea - a hand hold above your opening to help you swing yourself in.

 

[Paul HD]

Hi Neil,

Yes, I would be happy with a hinged lid. Do you use the part that is cut out?
The handle idea wouldn't work for me. With the lid or hatch I can also get nearer to the mast. Do you have any pics of your lid conversion?

Cheers
Paul.

 

[Tranona]

All that area is structural and chopping a hole for a hatch is a major job, not just the framing but beefing up the bulkhead where you have removed the top span. Probably a sound reason why there was not a hatch there in the first place - the solid roof allows you to have that wide companionway.

 

[michael_w]

What holds the mast up underneath?

 

[Paul HD]

All that area is structural and chopping a hole for a hatch is a major job, not just the framing but beefing up the bulkhead where you have removed the top span. Probably a sound reason why there was not a hatch there in the first place - the solid roof allows you to have that wide companionway.

I see what you mean. I wouldn't want the hatch to be more than 12 to 15 inches deep. Would that still cause a problem to the strength of the roof?

 

[Paul HD]

What holds the mast up underneath?

The masts tabernacle is bolted/screwed to the roof. In that area there is a beam that spans the underside of the roof.

 

[neil_s]

Hi Neil,

Yes, I would be happy with a hinged lid. Do you use the part that is cut out?
The handle idea wouldn't work for me. With the lid or hatch I can also get nearer to the mast. Do you have any pics of your lid conversion?

Cheers
Paul.

No - you can't use the cut out bit because it needs to overlap the hole. One lid I made in plywood and sheathed with GRP, but on a Hillyard 8 tonner, I made the hatch from mahogany boards edge-glued with epoxy. It looked really smart!

 

[Paul HD]

No - you can't use the cut out bit because it needs to overlap the hole. One lid I made in plywood and sheathed with GRP, but on a Hillyard 8 tonner, I made the hatch from mahogany boards edge-glued with epoxy. It looked really smart!

Understood. Thanks for the pic.

 

[Tranona]

I see what you mean. I wouldn't want the hatch to be more than 12 to 15 inches deep. Would that still cause a problem to the strength of the roof?

More the strength of the bulkhead. It is the curved bit over the current hatch that allows you to have that opening in the bulkhead. Take that away and the sides could move towards each other. If you look at boats that do have hatches you will find extra vertical members either side of the opening, then fore and aft beams at the side of the opening and another transverse beam at the forward end. All this is to ensure the rigidity around the opening so that it stays square and the hatch can slide freely or open and shut properly if hinged.

 

[Paul HD]

More the strength of the bulkhead. It is the curved bit over the current hatch that allows you to have that opening in the bulkhead. Take that away and the sides could move towards each other. If you look at boats that do have hatches you will find extra vertical members either side of the opening, then fore and aft beams at the side of the opening and another transverse beam at the forward end. All this is to ensure the rigidity around the opening so that it stays square and the hatch can slide freely or open and shut properly if hinged.

Understood, thanks for the info.

It is certainly not a job I would take on but good to know what is involved. Sounds like a lot of work and probably very expensive.

 

[bluerm166]

I don't think loss of strength due to a cut-out would be the governing issue.
There is apparently a lot of roof between the proposed modest cut out and the mast support position.The coachroof is acting as a plate which if needs be can easily be beefed up with grp so that the roof plate still braces the bulkheads. The cutout could be sufficient segment of a circle to improve the desired headroom and could still be covered by a rectangular hatch. An alternative would be a fixed raised 'nacelle' as on a Contessa + matching top washboard..
To meet the same objective the standard hinged hatch on a Sun 2000 may be of interest .The ply stay plate is my invention and allows the hatch to be operated readily.
I see that a full sliding hatch has already been installed on 'Siobhan '.

 

[Paul HD]

I don't think loss of strength due to a cut-out would be the governing issue.
There is apparently a lot of roof between the proposed modest cut out and the mast support position.The coachroof is acting as a plate which if needs be can easily be beefed up with grp so that the roof plate still braces the bulkheads. The cutout could be sufficient segment of a circle to improve the desired headroom and could still be covered by a rectangular hatch. An alternative would be a fixed raised 'nacelle' as on a Contessa + matching top washboard..
To meet the same objective the standard hinged hatch on a Sun 2000 may be of interest .The ply stay plate is my invention and allows the hatch to be operated readily.
I see that a full sliding hatch has already been installed on 'Siobhan '.

Thanks for the info. Is Siobhan a LBC? I have sent an email to Honnor marine today to find out if they have done a hatch install to any other LBC.

Edit. I have just seen Siobhan. It is a nice looking wooden version.