Westerlys, Changing the shape of the lozenge shaped doorways between sallon and forecabin, and the heads and hanging lockers?

[Mister E]

If the hole gets bigger then the door will be to small.
It is no good if it is floppy in the hole. Would your wife like it being all floppy in the hole?

 

[Boathook]

Westerly longbow doors, any structural reason why I cannot square off the lozenge shape of the door ways to hang new rectangular doors on them? It would involve cutting up into the top curve and down into the bottom one. Thanks.

A lot of work for very little gain. As others have alluded, the bulkhead is possibly structural and may require reinforcement if the mast is above. All the doors on my boat have to be stepped over.

 

[Halo]

Don’t do it! Why weaken an established structure. An experienced surveyor looking at a purchase or investigation of your boat may say that you have weakened the boat and it would be true.
As a professional engineer I still find those square hard corners on hull lights on new boats offensive- style over sense I M h o

 

[Bodach na mara]

I have experienced such a comment in a survey report. Within the preamble he used the phrase "The vessel is a slightly modified version of the standard -------- Class yacht designed by A---- P-------" which led to several insurance companies declining to quote on the basis that the nature of the modification was not specified. I took it up with the surveyor who said that it was a standard phrase as "all boats are modified in some way ". He did send me an amended report without the problem phrase and insurance was easily obtained. To avoid problems follow the advice of Halo. Don't do it!

 

[AntarcticPilot]

It seems that the real issue is the step at the bottom. I think removing that would be dangerous as the bulkhead there is supporting the hull; removing it to provide level access might weaken the support for the hull unacceptably.

 

[Sandy]

Westerly longbow doors, any structural reason why I cannot square off the lozenge shape of the door ways to hang new rectangular doors on them? It would involve cutting up into the top curve and down into the bottom one. Thanks.

Are you saying that the doors fit in the door frames?

On my Gib'Sea I have rectangular doors that fit behind the lozenge shaped door frames. A simple solution to the problem of jamming doors.

 

[clyst]

Rectangular doors are for houses, not for bulkheads on boat, planes etc, for reasons given above

........ or submarines .

 

[john_morris_uk]

Are you saying that the doors fit in the door frames?

On my Gib'Sea I have rectangular doors that fit behind the lozenge shaped door frames. A simple solution to the problem of jamming doors.

Exactly the same as our Westerly.

 

[steve yates]

The doors are lozenge shaped Sandy. I have no problem with the door shape myself, Jo doesn‘t like it but we have established thats not changing I have a real issue with the ugly melamine veneer westerly used to face the the doors and bulkheads here however. We are definitely going to do something about that

 

[dunedin]

Are you saying that the doors fit in the door frames?

On my Gib'Sea I have rectangular doors that fit behind the lozenge shaped door frames. A simple solution to the problem of jamming doors.

That sounds like a cheap bodge for a boat that is not strongly enough engineered
There has never been an issue of jamming doors on any boat we have owned - and we have a hydraulic backstay tensioner

 

[guardian]

Westerly longbow doors, any structural reason why I cannot square off the lozenge shape of the door ways to hang new rectangular doors on them? It would involve cutting up into the top curve and down into the bottom one. Thanks.

On a centaur

 

[Sandy]

That sounds like a cheap bodge for a boat that is not strongly enough engineered
There has never been an issue of jamming doors on any boat we have owned - and we have a hydraulic backstay tensioner

I see it as an extremely practical engineering solution, simple ease of maintenance and cost effective. After all the doors are there for privacy not water tight bulkheads.

I can also remove the fuel tank by undoing three screws, undoing some jubilee clips and two bolts. Some owners I've spoken to say that fuel tank removal means 'open boat surgery'.

My backstay tensioner is one you wind, but I don't race.