I bought they plywood yesterday, and a mate is getting me some teak and machining it up.  I'm putting a tongue into the gap for the washboards and adding extra teak to the forward face, for the door to close against.  It would have been cheaper and easier to close against the back to the cabin, but this will be more attractive.  I'm a glutton for punishment.

In the hope that one day Arion and Fantail will share an anchorage :-) I have decided to lower the bridgedeck to about 50mm below the seat level, which should make it a little easier to get below.  I think this will also look better.

I've even found a piece of teak to put across the sole by the new bridgedeck, so that it looks less like an afterthought. 

I will probably use acrylic for both doors, to let in the maximum light, unless the cost is prohibitive.  A light brown tint, which should look better than clear acrylic, if I can get it.


Too wet to work outside just yet, but am raring to go.

Annie Hill wrote:I wonder if the counter-sinking idea (in the link that Brian posted re bedding compounds) would help here?

Do not counter sink acrylic and (this is triple so) do not use screws with counter sunk  heads (CSK) as they are guaranteed to cause cracking and crazing. Be sure to drill your holes generously oversize, that is at least .5 mm for a 6 - 5 mm fastening and 1 mm would not hurt. and always put a washer under the head & nut.

Doing the above will reduce the probability of cracking and crazing to a considerable degree. It will not totally eliminate the possibility as drilling a hole in acrylic sets up stresses that can only be removed by annealing (heating in an oven) something that most people are unlikely to be able to do. Using a drill bit with zero rake will also improve your chances. Your cannot (at least in NZ) buy zero rake drill bits but you can regrind standard ones.

Annie Hill wrote:

• I see the two pieces of acrylic are of different thicknesses: what thickness are they?
  
• It looks like you screwed the teak battens to the lower part - have you had any problems with crazing around the screws?

Hi Annie.  My lower board is 18mm (3/4 inch) plywood and the upper is 10mm perspex, which is probably strong enough but it flexes a bit.  I have had a little crazing around the fasteners that are near the edges of the perspex board, at the hinges and the hasp.  I have been thinking of fitting timber stiffeners for the last decade or so.  Keeps slipping down the list.  I have also thought about replacing the upper board with plywood and fitting a portlight to it.  I have a magnificent 300mm dia bronze port lurking in a locker that came off the wreck of a Japanese WW2 warship in the Solomon Islands.  I copied the washboard idea from a Canadian yacht I met about 25 years ago and had a similar set up on my last boat.  I love being able to slam it shut in two seconds and open it again just as easily when the squall passes.

I envy you your suppleness.  My tumour affects my hormonal balance, making me subject to inflamation of the joints.  Sometimes I am as stiff as an old carthorse.  A geriatric rig for a geriatric skipper!

Graham

Just what I'm thinking about: yours is a masterpiece of simplicity and effectiveness.

A couple of questions:

• I see the two pieces of acrylic are of different thicknesses: what thickness are they?
  
• It looks like you screwed the teak battens to the lower part - have you had any problems with crazing around the screws?

At present, I often leave my lower washboard in and can easily get in an out.  As Paul said, I'm a hobbit (that's official - they were advertising for cast a while ago and I qualified for height!)  I'm also pretty flexible, so having a bridge deck slightly lower than the extant washboard would work for me.  Might be tricky for a next purchaser, but that's their problem. 

That's quite a simple set up Graham. Once I get time to think about modifications I shall have another look at those photos.