Hi, Folks.
My First Mate and I are sitting here contemplating our project list for the coming year and the subject of companionway doors came up. Has anybody either made these themselves or ordered from Zarcor?
Happy Boxing Day,
Carol Thorsten-Stein
Might as Well 30U #292
Nahant, MA
I made my own using the old ones as templates. I bought teak rough stock on eBay, milled all the pieces, and assembled them. I reused the louver racks and the hardware from the old ones.
Good luck,
Thomas
Thomas Haar
1984 NS36 Gone Away (the boat is for sale!)
Guilford, CT 06437
Carol: I made mine from Starboard and am quite happy with them. Minimal expense, having gotten the material online. Never need maintenance. Here’s the only photo of them I have -
Joe Valinoti
S/V IL Gatto NS30U #221
Sea Harbour YC
Oriental, NC USA
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Just curious.
Why doors instead of drop boards, which I have always used? Is there some advantage to doors?
Bob Dryer
30C #173
On the the hard, City Island, NY
Absolutely, Bob. I guess it depends on how many times you go in and out of the boat. With hatch boards, you are continually spending time placing them somewhere after you spend the time taking them out and putting them back in. That’s fine underway, but if you are somewhere and need heat or A/C, it’s nice to simply open or close a door.
Joe Valinoti
S/V IL Gatto NS30U #221
Sea Harbour YC
Oriental, NC USA
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We generally use our hatch boards when we lock up the boat or in weather where the ambiant temperature is unseasonably cool ie below 65F Otherwise we simply have a bug buster screen that is all we need to repel bugs and retain a bit of warmth. The screen has seen 14 years of use and is still going strong
Our hatch boards are tinted acyclic similar to the hatch cover. Lets in some light on a rainy day. We store the two pieces in bags made from towels to protect them ftom scratching. They live behind the settee cushions.
Ditto, except our boards are Marine Plywood finished with many coats of varnish.. I tried doors but they take up too much room and restrict nary and egress in a hurry. I am 2 metres tall and 100 kilos. I am the first to admit I take up too much room however Imdo believe they designed the 30u for people just like me....
NS30u 262
Lake Ontario, fresh water boat
and comfortably equipped because I’m a retired racer and old!
Cheers and merry Christmas everybody.
PS. Forgot to mention our boards slide into holders behind the companionway steps. Out of the way yet easy to access, especially when we can put in only one to keep dog below when we are docking or in exciting seas....
How about some more information on your board holders?
Mine just end up chucked onto one of the quarter berths (which is where I suspect most people end up “storing” theirs). If there is a more elegant solution out there that I could cook up over the winter I would be interested in seeing it.
I was also toying with the idea of changing to doors. I think they would be handy for quick and easy access at the dock, but was wondering how they work out while under way? Are they always banging open and shut with the motion of the boat? It seems like they would also eat into usable cockpit space and get in the way when trying to do anything involving the cabin top winches. Maybe that isn’t as much of an issue with a 30+ boat, but on a 26 working space can sometime be a bit tight - especially if there are more than a couple of people in the cockpit.
Happy New Year to everyone!
Ralph Bush
1983 N26C #104
“Hyggelig”
EYC, Toronto, ON
Here is a photo of the companionway doors open on White O’morn when she was first launched. The doors might bother some, but we close the doors when sailing and that keeps them out of our way, it may not be for some, but we would never want to go back to drop boards unless we were heading off shore.
Tim in STL
White O’morn NS26U #216
Harbor Point Yacht Club
West Alton, MO
Our boat came with both doors and drop boards. We use the former during the sailing season and the other when laid up. The doors (Tim’s doors appear to be identical to ours) make it much easier to go in and out of the cabin but, when open, can impinge on cockpit space, block the speedo and depth displays and impede access to the sail control lines on the starboard cabin top. So, in all but the worst weather, we remove them and sail with the companionway open (we have a dodger and bimini).
Several years ago I devised a way to stow the doors, which are oddly shaped and unwieldy. I mounted an appropriately sized pad eye on each of the vertical companionway step side boards such that the upper pintles of the door hinges fit into the pad eyes, with the pintles aft. I had to fiddle a bit with the placement of the pad eyes and, since the stowed doors are only secured at the top, I also put some heavy duty Velcro patches on the doors and companionway side boards to keep them where they need to be. Works quite well.
I don’t have a picture so if my description of the setup leaves you with questions, contact me directly for clarification.
David Young
Bay Cat, 30U #402
Traverse City / Suttons Bay, MI
Adagio came with to drop boards and acrylic doors. I have yet to put the acrylic doors in place. There is no locking mechanism for when we are not on board but I plan to add one and use them almost exclusively.
On my previous boat, a Pearson 30, I had swinging doors and loved how easy it was to enter and exit the cabin. With Adagio the boards drive me nuts having to pull them and reposition them over and over when we stay on the boat at the dock (to keep the air in during the summer and now the heat in now that it’s winter). When sailing the boards are usually stowed on the forward berth or behind the companionway stairs.
For me the doors being “in the way” when sailing are a non issue. Just leave them closed when sailing. Easy enough to swing open if you need to go below. If we want to leave the companionway open when underway they are mounted on hinges that allow us to simply lift the doors out and stow them just was we would with drop boards.
With all that said, one day, when I’m rich, I’d love to have a set made by this company. They have some beautiful designs. 
http://www.zarcor.com/products/c-doors/index.php
Kevin Wilson
NS30U #475, “Adagio”
Biloxi, MS
Good Morning,
It’s 18 degrees with a bit of a breeze here in Southern, MD. I thought it best to go to boat and make sure heater was doing its job and while going aboard the view of the companionway doors reminded me of the discussion you all were having. Although the discussion was regarding NS 30 Ultra and I have a Classic I avoided butting in but today is a nice to butt in and show you how my NS 30 Classic dealt with the companionway. I do not know if the method used, on my boat, was via the manufacturer or a smart boat owner. In any event, I really like it. The attached pictures will best illustrate the setup. It is a combination drop board along with hinged doors. When I visit the boat to just mess around with her, I swing both doors open, as they swing over the cockpit seats, and remove drop board. The only thing I have to do is find a place to put drop board and that is not an issue. Both doors can be easily removed and put below. Sometimes I leave them in place while sailing and other times I remove them. The port side door does cover the Tack Tick displays but sometimes when sailing I don’t have a need to look at it anyways. The louvered doors have skeeter netting on the back side. The previous owner also provided another set of doors with mosquito netting along with tinted acrylic panels that can be removed. The doors shown in the picture also have a removeable acrylic panel option.
I really like the look along with the flexibility of use.
Butch
Butch Garren
Nonsuch 30 #196
Whiskers II
Solomons, MD
I have both hatch boards and doors. I use the doors only when I’m on board and use the hatch boards when securing the boat. The doors come off easy and don’t block any of my instrumentation even when fully opened. https://youtu.be/nXFHCKojaF0
Mike
BIANKA
1986 30U
http://biankablog.blogspot.com
Our boat came with doors and we wouldn’t go back. For just the two of us we leave them in place, open (magnetic catches) or closed. They have gudgeon and pintle style hinges so they can be lifted off ..and then wonder where to put them out of the way. Best and worst of both worlds. They do have louvres with drop-in acrylic but they are in permanent storage.
Alan & Tracy
Corvus, NS30C #216
Ashbridges Bay, Toronto
Hi Al,
We too have doors and I was thinking about a method for keeping the doors open when mounted in the companionway. I hadn’t thought of magnetic catches. Sounds like a winner. Would like to know more or would appreciate a photo of yours.
As for the problem of storing the doors when not in use, we found a great place to store them was the inboard surface of the forward hanging locker. A second set of the gudgeons mounted on that surface keeps them out way and protected. When we are using the doors and want ventilation through the screened louvers, we store the acrylic storm shutters on the inside surface of the wet locker door. (Attaching photos)
Cheers!
Jim K
Toyger, NS30U #422
Port Ludlow WA
Hi Jim
Hi Fred,
Thanks! My wet locker is on the Port aft bulkhead next to the companionway. The locker is tucked under the forward end of the port cockpit seats. Hope that helps.
Cheers!
Jim K
The door catches look like ones from Rona or Home Hardware. They hold well and release if bumped. They do rust so occasionally need a squirt of grease or oil. I first looked at the long bit on the door and imagined how many ankles they would bite, but luckily proven wrong. As for storage, we have a Classic 30 with dual storage areas under the cockpit seats, accessible from the cabin, also known as quarter berths. Heard some people use them as berths! Cheers, Alan
