DOORS

The original layout featured a small head to port, a passageway to the forward cabin, and hanging lockers to starboard. A door in the passageway took you from the salon to the forward cabin and there were two doors into the head–one from the forward cabin and one from the salon. I posted the following image long ago, and it shows the original layout on the left, and a possible rebuild on the right.

The “rebuild possibility” went a little differently, but the important feature that was retained is that there are now just two doors–one that takes you from the salon to the head, and one that takes you from the head to the forward cabin. There are plusses and minuses. The head is much more spacious (plus), and the forward cabin a bit less spacious (minus). The primary minus is that one cannot pass between the forward cabin and the salon if someone else is using the head.

I needed to build two new doors, and I went with the simplest solution: plywood panels and hinges:

Here is a test fit:

I went with THIS product for the door latch assembly.

Molding is needed here and there–some on the doors, and some on the bulkheads.

Dry fitting the bulkhead molding for the aft door:

Dry fitting the molding on one of the doors:

The doors lock from inside the head and there are no keys for access from outside the head. I cut two rectangular openings in each door…

…and fabricated upper and lower moldings into which small plywood panels can slot into and out of. In the image below I’ve not yet dadoed the rabbet required for the slotting. I have dadoed out the larger rabbet required for the molding to slot into the door.

Everything was painted or varnished, and there’s nothing like warm, dry sunshine to expedite the drying process:

Eventually I finished, and here is the door that takes you from the forward cabin into the head. The view here is from the forward cabin. The panel has four holes for ventilation, but I made a set of solid panels too for more privacy.

Looking forward from the salon:

Here the aft door is closed and the solid panel is in. I added a small strip of teak as a sort-of handle. If anyone were to be locked in and need a rescue it is easy to remove the panel and reach in and unlock the door from outside the head.

Looking forward through the head, both doors open.

I still need to figure out how I’ll keep them secured in the open position, but that’s a matter of a simple barrel bolt or door hook.

HATCHES

The three hatches hinge on the aft side (old photo below, and the salon hatch actually can hinge on the forward side too). The hinges hold the hinge-side of the hatch about 3/8 inch above the coaming, which is what I once estimated to be about right based on the gasket material I will use. Well, the forward end of the hatch must be held 3/8 inch above the forward edge of the coaming, too.

For a long time now I’ve simply maintained that separation with slivers of plywood, but finally, I solved the problem for good, as you can see here: