Good mooring!
Like what I must assume are many others, I have some tired, old, hatch boards aboard Loon. A local glass shop can fabricate new boards from plexiglass. However, the Admiral prefers the look of wood. Does anybody know of a fabricator who will make replacement boards for us? I envision shipping the current boards and having them used as templates for replacements. Thank you for the consideration.
Itâs less complicated than you might think. I think anyone with a little woodwork experience and some basic tools can help you out. You might even try to fabricate it yourself.
1.) Source the louvre vent like this one from Defender.
2.) Source a piece of nice looking plywood, preferable teak veneer.
3.) Source a new wooden finishing strip/drip edge or re-use the old one. Itâs solid wood, so it should clean up nicely.
4.) Copy the old board onto new ply and cut it using a circular saw or just a plain handsaw.
5.) Cut the hole for the vent you bought, Iâd use a simple jigsaw but a router would be nicer.
6.) Glue / screw the parts together.
7.) Apply oil or varnish.
Done.
As Mark says, itâs a relatively easy DIY job.
I didnât want the wood maintenance hassle, and did mine using PVC foam board.
If youâre not a DIYer, Iâm pretty sure if you did a web search for âwoodshopsâ or âwoodcraftsâ or âspeciality lumberâ near Noank, youâd find outfits capable of doing the job using your boards as templates and Markâs advice as a definition of the services you require.
â Bob
We have smoked acrylic , makes it brighter inside than plywood. We store them in bags made of towel material
If you would prefer to not do the labor for this yourself, and are not finding someone local to fabricate the boards, you may want to contact a company called PlasTeak (they make simulated wood from plastic). I am not sure they do this, but I was under the impression they could/would produce just about anything if provided with the dimensions. The simulated wood will probably last longer, and not need any âmaintenanceâ.
They made the plinth for beneath the windlass I installed last year. The unit they made was perfect! Looks like a large teak block! The measurements were exactly as we discussed and the bolt holes they drilled lined up with the windlass. They checked with me several times to review specs before cutting. Their customer service is excellent!
Just a thoughtâŚ
Peter Grabow
