[Rhodes22-list] Hatch to Cabin

[PBR]

My old plywood hatch cover was in rough shape.  It had been painted white
but not soon enough or often enough.  I recently replaced using PVC plywood
from home depot and the original piano hinge.  Use the old and a pattern,
just a skill saw and a router bit for the edges.  Seems OK.  Light weight.
I painted it white over white but probably OK without paint.  It has wood
grain texture on one side.  I assume it will be fine and not warp or
anything in the hot sun but time will tell.

On Sun, Mar 17, 2024 at 12:19 PM ROGER PIHLAJA <roger_pihlaja at msn.com>
wrote:

> Hi Cary,
>
> My 1978 Rhodes 22 has a luan teak plywood companionway hatch cover.  The
> hinge is a SS piano hinge.  I have to take the hatch cover apart, sand it
> down, and revarnish every couple of years.  But, given that minimal
> maintenance, it's still the original hatch cover.  Of course, it doesn't
> allow any light into the cabin when closed; but, it also doesn't get hot in
> direct sunshine.  Freshly varnished, I think it looks good, very
> traditional.  Even when UV stabilized, polycarbonate will take UV damage
> from the sun.  Polycarbonate is a crystaline polymer, which means it
> inherantly tends to fail by brittle fracture, even when new.  UV exposure
> only renders it more brittle.  Is your hinge thru bolted or are the screws
> threaded into the Lexan?  If it is threaded; then, you  could make it
> somewhat more resistant to cracking by drilling out the threads.  Then,
> thru bolt it using the biggest OD fender washers that will fit.  Thru
> bolting with fender washers to spread the load will make the hinge assembly
> much less likely to crack.
>
> Roger Pihlaja
> S/V Dynamic Equilibrium
> 1978  Sanford, MI
>
> ________________________________
> From: Rhodes22-list <rhodes22-list-bounces at rhodes22.org> on behalf of
> Cary Tolbert <retiredtoby at gmail.com>
> Sent: Saturday, March 16, 2024 6:31 PM
> To: The Rhodes 22 Email List <rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org>
> Subject: [Rhodes22-list] Hatch to Cabin
>
> My hatch is made of 3/8 in. thick black polycarbonate (lexan). It has a
> crack at the bend. Like me it has been patched up and is still serviceable.
> I am thinking more about when the time comes to sell the boat. What
> material is General Boats currently using? The previous owner said the boat
> went through recycling in the early 2000s. So the polycarbonate has held up
> to abuse and the sun for 20 years.
> It does let some light into the cabin but the black color absorbs a lot of
> heat.
> Looking for suggestions and ideas of what may be the current or fashionable
> update for the market. I know tastes change but I still wear penny loafers
> style shoes from the 60s.
>
> Thanks for your help.
>
> Cary Tolbert
> S/V Whisper   86
> Claytor Lake , VA
>