Send us pics when you're done with it!
I'm on my second(!) piece of mahogany ply. I got this one cut correctly
(yeah, asymmetrically!) and i modified it a bit to better fit the goofy
curve in the sliding hatch. I still need to finish it. On some scrap I'm
experimenting with covering the edges and even some flat surfaces with
Gluvit epoxy. When this epoxy finally cures hard I'll coat it with varnish
and see how the combination is to work with. While I too detest varnishing,
I so love the look of well-varnished wood I'm willing to keep doing it :) I
also found that the bottom of my companionway wasn't entirely square with
the sides. It was only off by a degree or so, but it was enough to make the
hatch fit a little funny, so we tapered it on a table saw with a tapering
jig. I'm real pleased with the fit on this new piece. I picked up some real
nice hardware as well. The stock stuff was cheapo chrome-plated zinc or
something similar, riveted in place. The stuff I found is cast stainless,
much nicer and looks great.
I found that using a quarter-round router bit on the inside edges of the
hatchboards makes them fit real nicely into the fiberglass recesses.
> I'll never have to varnish it again....
I'm jealous! :)