Pilot house door help

[PeterK]

So I knew I need to replace the roller assemblies on my pilot house doors but cannot figure out how to get the doors out/off to do it.

I spoke with Steve and he told me the doors were changed right around the time our boat was built and he doesn't know what I can do. Bruce Morrison is MIA (I think he is on a mega yacht cruising to French Polynesia- tough life!) so no help from him.

I have a small panel about 3" high on the bottom. They are held by 3 #4 oval heads. (to help matters, one of them is stripped!). The problem I am having is I assume the doors are lifted and then the panel swung out and off to expose the roller assembly. I cannot lift the doors high enough to get the top of the anel clear of the door to remove it.

Any help will be greatly appreciated!!!

I do have a bit of urgency as one of the doors is now stuck half open. I just spent the last 45 minutes taping plastic over the opening as we are expecting rain overnight

Thanks in advance for any help

 

[MikeP]

I pulled both our doors some years ago and I don't too recall much about it - seems like I did exactly as you describe, pulled that lower panel and lifted the door off the track/swung it outward. I replaced the rollers in both doors.

Since I can't remember for sure, to verify I just now walked over and lifted one of my doors and, if the small panel was not in place at the bottom, it appears they DO lift high enough to clear the track/angle outward at the bottom so they can be removed.

Of course, if there was some change made in how the doors were mounted/removed after our model (1980), as steve described, there may be a different method involved.

 

[SKYCHENEY]

Mike is describing the wood doors.

These are the aluminum doors, right? I did rollers on a 60MY about that vintage a few years back. I can't remember the specifics, but I remember that there was a bunch of corrosion and it was a real PITA to work on. Sorry I can't be of more help. Can you get a small pry bar or putty knife under the wheels to try to slide the bottom out?

 

[PeterK]

Yes, they are aluminum. There is not much corrosion, at least by the panels... I have tried to lever it but still cannot get the door high enough to pop the panel out.

 

[tonytrakovich]

If I remember right, I had to unscrew the bottom track to get my doors off.

 

[MikeP]

Yep, sorry, Sky is quite right - I was describing our doors which are wood.

 

[PeterK]

If I remember right, I had to unscrew the bottom track to get my doors off.

Dead on. Six screws and the door dropped with the channel. New roller assemblies will be here tomorrow.