Needed: Cockpit Door for 52c

[rustybucket]

Long story short, one of the items MIA on our boat when we purchased it was the cockpit door. The boat is a 1986 52c.

Anyone happen to know if by chance this part may be available somewhere (maybe from a junk/sunken 52c)?

Or, if you have a 52c any chance you could post a few pics of what the door looks like so I can build a new one?

Thanks in advance for any guidance on what the door may have been originally constructed of. I'm imagining a balsa core with FRP skin.

Clarification: I'm talking about the tuna door at the rear of the cockpit, not the actual door to the Salon.

[finatic]

I'm in a similar situation. I have a 1984 52C. The "paint" around the window frame started peeling back about a year ago. Now I have it about 2/3 scrapped off. (looks like hell!). My door is 30"X 74 1/2" X 1 5/16" thick (This is the usual thickness of an interior door). The thickness is the problem. I was going to buy a 30" X 78" solid exterior door and trim down the height but they are way too thick. Sam's doesn't have any. When they built the door they covered the wood veneer with thick filler and blocked it smooth then painted it. The filler and paint are peeling off the wood underneath leaving a real mess! I may try to make one myself from some local Cypress. Let me know if you come up with any good options.

[rustybucket]

I'm in a similar situation. I have a 1984 52C. The "paint" around the window frame started peeling back about a year ago. Now I have it about 2/3 scrapped off. (looks like hell!). My door is 30"X 74 1/2" X 1 5/16" thick (This is the usual thickness of an interior door). The thickness is the problem. I was going to buy a 30" X 78" solid exterior door and trim down the height but they are way too thick. Sam's doesn't have any. When they built the door they covered the wood veneer with thick filler and blocked it smooth then painted it. The filler and paint are peeling off the wood underneath leaving a real mess! I may try to make one myself from some local Cypress. Let me know if you come up with any good options.

Clarified original post, I have the door that goes to the Salon, just not the door on the transom, tuna door maybe was a better term to use.

[rustybucket]

Here is a pic of my cockpit door before going MIA.

[Cricket]

If you can't find a transom door from salvage the easiest build method is probably to glue the correct thickness in foam together, shape the foam to fit, and then start the glassing part, etc. It's a tough part to build because of all of the different angles/shapes, etc. If you do end up building a part remember to beef up the area for the hinge. Hopefully you have the gate/gunnel part of the opening. Good luck.

[Cricket]

I'm in a similar situation. I have a 1984 52C. The "paint" around the window frame started peeling back about a year ago. Now I have it about 2/3 scrapped off. (looks like hell!). My door is 30"X 74 1/2" X 1 5/16" thick (This is the usual thickness of an interior door). The thickness is the problem. I was going to buy a 30" X 78" solid exterior door and trim down the height but they are way too thick. Sam's doesn't have any. When they built the door they covered the wood veneer with thick filler and blocked it smooth then painted it. The filler and paint are peeling off the wood underneath leaving a real mess! I may try to make one myself from some local Cypress. Let me know if you come up with any good options.

For the cockpit door I would grind the crap out of the bad areas and then start to build it back up with glass, unless it's too wet to repair.

[Tim Powell]

here is a pic of my cockpit door before going mia.

some one on the forun is parting out a 45c may pm them for the size of their door

[Briankinley2004]

If you can't find a transom door from salvage the easiest build method is probably to glue the correct thickness in foam together, shape the foam to fit, and then start the glassing part, etc. It's a tough part to build because of all of the different angles/shapes, etc. If you do end up building a part remember to beef up the area for the hinge. Hopefully you have the gate/gunnel part of the opening. Good luck.

If you go this route make sure you put cardboard or something over the foam as the resin will melt it. Dont ask me how I know They make a foam that is already covered but if you are customizing you may have issues using it

[Boatsb]

Styrofoam is the wrong foam. Only foams that are compatible with the resin should be used. It's not hard to find the right stuff but it's time consuming and more expensive than the stuff homo cheepo sells.

I use a lot of coosa, divinchicell and expanded polyurethane with epoxy resin. If you use polyester resin don't use the polyurethane.

Making a door is a lot of work as there's a curve to the transom, inner and outer seam to match and an inner curve to match. Plus making the door sound means using the right structural elements.

[Briankinley2004]

I used some of the 2" pink panther stuff we had left over from an efis job. After I melted the first sheet I remembered it was supposed to be covered. I wrapped it all in 1/4" plywood and wound up with an ugly ice chest that will keep ice for days. I wouldn't trust myself to do a curved door. Coosa would be a good product to use. I built a pontoon and used that for the decking. Its high dollar too but if I remember it is already a fiberglass core or type product.