Harry Gordon
P14 #234, Manatee
Mountain View, CA
>Hello Eric -
>
>I think the asymetry in the door is intentional, not poor workmanshp. I can't
>remember why at the moment. Will be thunking on it.
>
>Greg Gaston
>WWP19 #808 Peppermint Patty
>Asheville NC
>
>Eric Johnson wrote:
>
>> Well, I took my expensive piece of marine-grade mahogany plywood and put it
>> up against my old companionway door, backside-to-backside to prevent
>> scratching, and using a router, cut the profile of the old delaminating wood
>> into the new mahogany.
>>
>> I went to test-fit the new piece on the boat. It didn't fit. not even close.
>> Took me a while to realize what happened - I basically made a mirror-image
>> of the original hatch.
>>
>> NOW, it is perfectly reasonable to assume the profile of the hatch door to
>> be symmetrical. It is not :( mine is every bit of a half-inch higher on one
>> side (where it meets the sliding top) than the other.
>>
>> Before you all yell "turn it over", i had already made the angled cuts where
>> the upper section meets the lower, so that isn't an option.
>>
>> As far as I can tell, at time of manufacture, someone must have just
>> eyeballed the curve on either the hatchboard or the sliding hatch, and
>> transferred this asymmetric curve to the other piece.
>>
>> I fear that now I've discovered this problem, even if i cut an identical
>> piece properly from a new piece of wood, I'll forever SEE the asymmetry that
>> I overlooked before. I'm thinking of just taking a piece of varnished solid
>> mahogany and screwing it across the back of the sliding hatch, to
>> essentially eliminate the arch in the back of the hatch, and cut the hatch
>> board straight across too.
>>
>> I sure hope IM is building boats better these days.
>>
>> Your thoughts?