[Rhodes22-list] Hatch teak guides 1975 Rhodes 22

[Robert Dilk]

Thanks for the detailed explanation.

I will remove the hatch assembly and examine for the wear you Described.
thanks again.

Bob 
Knot Necessary

>>> cen09402@centurytel.net 01/14/03 09:09AM >>>
Bob,

Dynamic Equilibrium is a 1976 Rhodes 22.  My boat originally had teak
companionway hatch guides, probably the same as yours.

In the spring of 1987, soon after I brought the boat home, I removed the
hatch guides in order to sand & varnish them.  The sliding hatch was still
working OK, the teak hatch guides just looked grey & dirty.  They are easy
to remove, just 4 sheet metal screws in the bottom of the pop top hatch per
guide.  The hatch guides simply prevent the companionway hatch from rising
up.  The hatch actually slides along the top surface of the pop top.  When I
pulled mine apart for the 1st time, I found I had a much bigger problem on
my hands than refinishing a few pieces of teak.

When you remove the hatch guides & lift up the sliding hatch cover, you are
probably not going to like what you see:

Abrasive salt, dirt, & crud tend to accumulate in between the fiberglass
reinforced plastic (FRP) hatch cover & the FRP pop top as well as between
the FRP hatch cover & the teak hatch guides.  Over time, this abrasive
material has been wearing away at both the FRP surfaces as well as the teak
every time you use the sliding hatch.  You may very well find that you have
no more gel coat remaining on the FRP hatch cover &/or the pop top.  The
teak hatch guides are probably worn so thin that they are no longer
structurally sound.

The fix is relatively easy:

The FRP surfaces can be built back up with a thickened epoxy.  Use Gougeon
Brothers, WEST system epoxy: 105 epoxy resin, 205 Fast Hardener, & 406
Colloidal Silica Filler/Thickening Agent.  This will give you a structurally
sound & more abrasion resistant sliding wear surface for the hatch to run
on.

If the teak hatch guides are worn too thin; then, they will have to be
replaced.  GBI can sell you new hatch guides in either teak or plastic.  The
plastic parts will be maintenance free & will last much longer than the
teak.  If you have a router; then, you can also make your own hatch guides
out of plastic or teak.  I built my own new hatch guides out of UV
stabilized, black, Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene (UHMWPE) in
1987.  They still look & work like new in 2003.  Note: If you are replacing
the teak hatch guides on top of the companionway; then, consider also
replacing the vertical hatch guides on the front of the companionway to
match.

Good Luck!

Roger K. Pihlaja
S/V Dynamic Equilibrium

----- Original Message -----
From: "Robert Dilk" <Robert.Dilk@trw.com>
To: <rhodes22-list@rhodes22.org>
Sent: Tuesday, January 14, 2003 7:58 AM
Subject: [Rhodes22-list] Hatch teak guides 1975 Rhodes 22


> I have a 1975 Rhodes 22 and the teak guides for the hatch cover are =
badly
worn.
> The question is does the hatch cover side on the teak guides OR do the
teak guides just contain the hatch?
>
> Right now my hatch cover is supported by the top of the PopTop raised =
rain
rails .
>
> thanks
>
> Bob
>
> _________________________________________________
> Use Rhodes22-list@rhodes22.org, Help? www.rhodes22.org/list 
>
>

_________________________________________________
Use Rhodes22-list@rhodes22.org, Help? www.rhodes22.org/list