Linda,
Just to be clear, are you talking about drop-down companionway hatch boards that are divided horizontally into two slats that stack, hinged companionway doors that divide vertically and open out toward the cockpit sits, or (as some boats have) a larger privacy door that resides entirely inside the boat interior?
The marine guys charge a lot in part because they’re coming to the boat.
You don’t need a marine carpenter for any of them, just a carpenter or shop who understands material quality (solid wood or veneered marine plywood, topped with coats of a good varnish like Epifanes). You could easily make a pattern and bring it to them for a quote. It’s basically a quadrangle that’s wider at the top than bottom. If you gave a wood products shop the vertical height, the top and bottom widths, and the measurements of the angled sides, they could probably build it sight unseen.
There’s an article on the Good Old Boat website at https://goodoldboat.com/a-more-companionable-companionway/, that shows in detail how to measure and build a hinged set of doors. I personally would adapt their design rather than use it as is. They chose to use cheaper hinges and position them less elegantly than I would if I were doing it. But it’s a good introduction to what’s involved.
Even if hiring someone to do it, it’s worth looking at to understand what you’d be paying them to do.
The companionway entrance drop-down boards are, I believe, typically 1/2" to fit in the hatchway slots. Some might be slightly thicker with the edges routed down to half inch to fit in those slots. I don’t think the hinged doors would need to be any thicker.
If you’re talking about 2" mahogany, it sounds like you’re talking about an interior door. Or was that a typo? Two inch thick mahogany, even if just plywood with mahogany veneer would be really heavy. None of the boat’s interior bulkheads are that thick. I’m pretty sure they’re 1".
My vague recollection from making companionway hatchboards for the 26C I had when I did it eight years ago was that the companionway measured something like 24" wide at the bottom, 28" or 30" wide at the top, and (here, I’m really guessing from fading memory) maybe 32" high.
The material for 1/2" plexiglass, probably using two 24" x 36" slats which would be ample for making companionway drop-down doors, runs about $350 in my (Los Angeles, CA) neighborhood. If you have the measurements, a plastics shop would probably charge you at most $10 per cut. Buying the materials and having them cut it would involve at most 5-6 cuts, so I’d think that $400-450 price for going that route is viable. Plexiglass looks nice, but it’s prone to scratching.
Marine plywood, without a nice veneer, would cost in the $120-150 range around here. Even with veneer, wouldn’t get near as pricey as plexiglass. Depending on skills and interests, you could varnish yourself or pay someone around the docks to do it.
– Bob
Me Gusta
Nonsuch e26U #233
