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Making an access panel, material?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Bob Quinn
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Bob Quinn

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  1. OWNER - I own a Hatteras Yacht
Hatteras Model
53' MOTOR YACHT (1969 - 1988)
I'm planning a fix to the upper helm leak and can't fit through the small access doors in the front.
I was thinking about installing a large set of doors near the repair area, but then thought what about just an access panel.

Has anyone done this and what did you use for the panel material?

Thank you!
 
What leak and where?
 
Starboard is ideal for this.

I have a couple of starboard hatches from www.buckwoodcraft.com under the helm, very well built. Got them 20 years ago! I can’t find them on their website but the site is dated. They re in the keys, give them a call. Great people.
 
McMaster Carr sells fiberglass panels in a variety of thicknesses. They'd require a little sanding and paint. I'd expect you could get 1/4". Or, just carefully cut out the access hole and screw and glue a border around the edges of the piece you remove like a picture frame. Either caulk it or use some peel and stick foam to make it water tight.
 
Buckwoodcraft is great to work with, best to just call them for what you need.
Boatoutfitters is also very good, their website ordering for custom stuff is really great.
I'm not a big fan of Starboard either but is does have its uses, like in this case.
As an example we have access panels both in front of the mezzanine and also inside the mezzanine on the outside walls.
The cockpit side is primed and painted G10 and inside the mezzanine is Starboard because you can't see it.
 
Captain Ralph said:
What leak and where?
Click to expand...

In the upper helm area, i.e. the bulkhead area where the windshield is mounted.
There is the drain hole on the starboard front inside corner, that allows water under and into the inside storage area and then there is the hole on the outside starboard front corner that allows water to drain back out to the deck. Inside is the wiring that comes up through an approximately 2 or 2.5" diameter tube. I think it's coming in around the tube.
So I am going to do as others have done here and put a piece of copper pipe in place between the two drain holes and make a tunnel to see if that fixes the issue. I think the water is coming in around that tube the wires come up through.
 
This is the area I'm thinking of adding the door.
The black piece is just a piece of flooring from the house I was using for scale.

The existing set of doors in the center are 20 tall x 25 wide. I roughly tried to sketch in the same
size in the green hatched area.

As I'm looking at this I'm wondering how goofy this might look.

Any opinions?

Maybe it needs the center replaced and third door on the left to make it all match?
Or would that just make it worse? Maybe I'm being to picky I don't know.

fyi the buckwoodcraft product looks to be almost identical to the boatoutfitters product but about 1/3 the price!
The boatoutfitters was going to be around $340 to $380 so that price was making me think about just a flat screw on panel but the buckwoodcraft was around $110, at that price it's not worth trying to "make" something.
At that price it would be reasonable to put 3 new ones in. Not sure how that would look. I would think it would look better than one old one and one new one.



PossibleNewHatch.webp
 
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I think he's kidding, Bob. I don't think he really rents out his grandkids.
 
In the helm area on our 43DC we have two storage compartments in a similar sort of area like what you are showing here... They just cut the fiberglass and put a hinge and some trim on it. Works well.

This is an old photo from the original listing of the boat, but, you get the idea.

IMG_2191.webp
 
jim rosenthal said:
I think he's kidding, Bob. I don't think he really rents out his grandkids.
Click to expand...

LOL I thought that was odd but not enough coffee in me yet apparently to get the joke LOL
 
brettportzer said:
In the helm area on our 43DC we have two storage compartments in a similar sort of area like what you are showing here... They just cut the fiberglass and put a hinge and some trim on it. Works well.

This is an old photo from the original listing of the boat, but, you get the idea.

View attachment 66040
Click to expand...

That looks pretty good!
 
Our upper helm has four access doors in the benches and forward pulpit that look like the description of the 'cut out and hinge' method with trim around the outer edge. Looks good, the trim corners were too sharp and had to be rounded off, but that is a small problem to avoid. I always thought the four hatches were OEM...
 

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  • UPR Helm 2.webp
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Just reuse the panel that came out mount hinges and trim and you’re set. That’s how we did it before everyone had money to waste
 
I see this as an opportunity to start a fitness program to be able to fit into the existing opening. Just a real as "rentagrandchild.com".

Walt Hoover
 
whoover said:
I see this as an opportunity to start a fitness program to be able to fit into the existing opening. Just a real as "rentagrandchild.com".

Walt Hoover
Click to expand...

Exactly
 
I went to the boat yesterday to get some better measurements and after looking at the existing doors which are old, with broken handles, latches and rotting wood I decided to order the hatches from the Buck place. I was able to size them so all were the same at 26 wide and 24 high. So they will be about an inch wider and 2 or 3 inches taller than the existing center doors. I ordered 3.
It should really open up that space to be more useable. Not cheap at $900 bucks but it should be a nice improvement.

I was going to caulk them in but the guy said nothing really sticks to the starboard. I still want to caulk them.

I found these possibly epoxies/adhesives does anyone have experience with any of these on starboard?

[FONT=&quot]King StarBoard[/FONT][FONT=&quot]®, [/FONT][FONT=&quot]King StarBoard[/FONT][FONT=&quot]®[/FONT][FONT=&quot] ST, King ColorCore[/FONT][FONT=&quot]®[/FONT][FONT=&quot], King ColorBoard[/FONT][FONT=&quot]®[/FONT][FONT=&quot] and King CuttingBoard[/FONT][FONT=&quot]®[/FONT][FONT=&quot] can not be glued using standard adhesives. Products like 3M’s 5200 work well as a water sealing caulk but will not adhere King StarBoard[/FONT][FONT=&quot]®[/FONT][FONT=&quot] to itself or other materials in a permanent bond. It is preferable to mechanically fasten or weld King StarBoard[/FONT][FONT=&quot]®[/FONT][FONT=&quot], but when an adhesive is necessary you can use a product called Chem-Set™ 6105 Polyolefin Bonder, Lord 7542-AB, or 3M’s Scotch-Weld DP-8005. We do not represent these products, or make any claims about their abilities or accept liability for them.[/FONT]
 
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