Sea Hood

[commanderpete]

I'm going to be adding a Sea Hood to my boat. Here's a few links and pictures I had come across. Various ways to make one--wood, plywood, fiberglass and combinations thereof.

http://www.triton381.com/projects/re...n/decktrim.htm

http://www.tritonclass.org/mir/236seahood.html

http://seaweed.thebilge.com/slidinghatch.htm

http://www.pacificseacraft.com/cgi-b...tview.php?4417

I've been trying to think of the best way to secure it to the deck. Would prefer to bolt it through the deck somehow, rather than sending wood screws up from underneath.

I could easily bolt it on if the hood had an outward flange, but I don't want to do that.

I just want the hood to be securely attached, but capable of being removed if the need should arise.

[ebb]

hey C'pete.
[SORRY. Erased a bunch of blather here........]

[ebb]

C'pete'
Believe you've created a kind of rubric's sea hood here that can't be solved by anybody over 18. The only solution is a temporary one that would require one of your usual foredeck crew to sit on your forecabin with her frock drapped in such a way as to forestall the entry of boarding seas under your hatch. No flanges or fastenings required. No barrel nuts either!

[Tony G]

C'Pete,

How removable do you meanwhen you say removable? If you use something on the line of the Pacific Seacraft example youattached you could always remove the front panel and main hatch. That's prety removable. The side rails could be epoxied in place or even adhered with 5200... They say there is an agent you can use to remove that stuff now.

Part of me likes the traditional wood hood with a smooooth curve and tastefully contrasting wood species. Part of me likes a slick, low profile garage with a nice full instrument dash on top.

Eh, to each his own...

[ebb]

Got morn, dis is Carl here, shpeaking to you from Valhalla....

Yes, well, here's my input. Think the garage should look like the hatch with splayed sides and front, not a 90degree box you see a lot. Think it should be layed up inside a female form with frp. The splayed dish shape also would make it so much easier to laminate and remove from the form! Since there is a span, you can do it exactly like the hatch (assuming the Commander hatch is like the Ariel hatch) with a curved top which will keep it from deflecting, and adds enormous strength, when sat on.

It would be slim and tidy with a low profile because no plywood is used. 1/4 to 5/16" thick.

Tony's right on with the rise for the instruments at the open end, but you'ld have an up-flange here to act as a rib across the opening that would also be the breakwater and provide attachment for the bottom of the sunbrella dodger.

How do you attach the cowl to the deck? You could 5200 strips alongside the hatch and across the front. Let'e say 1 1/2 X 1 1/2" (wider on the bottom and smaller at the top) - they are shaped/angled exactly like the hood on the outer sides, so that when you mount the hood it slips snuggly down to the deck over these strips. Snug makes it strong.

Now comes the hard part:
Find some barrel nuts (would go for the 1/4" s.s ones from Jamestown*) you can glue into these strips (3 per side, 3 in front?) Attach the hood thru matching holes and wallawalla 'easy removal.'


* these require a 5/8" hole to be set in, a larger/taller strip may be required to comfortably take these. I would be very unhappy if the glue let go and the barrelnut decided to turn while I was unscrewing the machine bolt to take the hood off. Bummer. (the domestic alternative to the b.n. is called a T-nut. It has a wider flange for a 'head' and spurs that you set into the wood. Maybe find these in s.s.?)

So instead, one might consider including a metal bar attached to the wood rails, have to be 1/4" thick stuff for the threaded holes. Or maybe instead of long heavy bars, shorter rectangular pieces with threaded holes could be dapped into the logs and screwed on to match the hood's attachment points.

Poisonally, would break yer first rule and sneak in some lag screws (bolts WOULD be better) anyway along with the 5200 holding the mounting pieces on!!

Theryar bud, half done already

[ebb]

C'pete suh,
There is absolutely nothing better than a full size model of what you want. Seeing the problem from all angles eliminates future surprises. The first one can be taped together box cardboard using the hatch (with a suitable spacer) as the form) You can progress to poster board and white cardboard from the office supply store. From there you make the shape with doorskin or plywood. Then........

.................................................. .................................................. ...............


Better idea than bloody screws,,,
Imagine that when you are putting the completed seahood in place you lay it down on the deck in place - but a few inches forward of where it's supposed to be. Then you push and slide it home and tight. You have engaged a number of angle(?) keepers that hold the hood from moving. You provide somewhere one (1) fastener to keep it from being inadvertantly moved forward - which would disengaged the hook keepers. To officially disengage you'ld stand in the companion way facing the seahood and give it a good shove. That is it, NO series of screws!!! Easy. You could take it home to admire it every time you left the boat. Can imagine it would be just as easy to separate it from the dodger, half a dozen snaps and wallawallawalla! HA!

[epiphany]

C'pete -

Did you see Ray Henry's (from the TSBB) job he did on Seaweed, his Nimble? The link is here:

Seaweed

[commanderpete]

He does some nice work.

One thing's for sure, my sea hood is going to be sturdy. I've had people sitting and standing on the sliding hatch. I don't like it, but what am I gonna do? Yell at them?

[commanderpete]

Instead I reinforced the underside of the sliding hatch, along the sides, front cut-outs and front curve. Also glassed in the wooden slides that hold the metal runners.

Before painting

[ebb]

Looks just like Ariel's.
If the reason for the sprayhood is that when you take water between the tracks the water drips in at the companionway, do you have adequate scuppers back at the end where the hatch stops? Maybe water can't get out fast enough so it collects there and finds its way in with the wind and motion of the boat.

With the boat tilted the water collects on one side against the rail. Maybe that's how it gets in, by a wedge of high water.

Next time the hatch is off check that the upturned edge of the deck is in goodshape there. An upgrade would be to turn that edge forwad in a lip so that water would have a harder time getting in.

Having just taken the hatch off 338, I noticed that the ledge could have been cleaner. Somebody had added a puddle of silicone in the turn creating a slope that would have made it easier for water to slosh in. In the Ariel with the cabin liner the water getting in would have entered the liner (there's a 5/8" gap) to endup who knows where in the cabin. Maybe the scuppers in your rails could be larger, if you take a lot of water in the hatch slide area, to exit water faster.

How about a flap of rubber inside on the hatch itself (goes down to the deck, a baffle) that might help keep water going over the ledge when the hatch is closed. With the hatch closed the baffle would rest on the upturn which is right behind the trim. With an added anti-slosh turn in the ledge and free scuppers this might be all you need. Close tolerance fitting of that baffle piece attached to the lid around the metal keepers might help keep wedgie water out. Could be tight enough so the hath would have some resistence to sliding. Rubber might be thick but still pliable - so water won't move it. etc ect tec....


? ? ?

Where you put the reinforcement in the hatch?

[c_amos]

Could be tight enough so the hath would have some resistence to sliding. Rubber might be thick but still pliable - so water won't move it. etc ect tec....

I like this idea, and will do this. I am going the same route, (sea hood, turtle).
Doubt non-sea hood boats would want rubber on the forward edge though, at least not balck rubber for the track marks it might leave on the cabin top (of course not an issue with a sea hood, as it would only be needed on the sides).

My plan is the oak risers, covered in epoxy, with a laminated luan/roving top that would mimic the radius of the hatch.

The one twist, I plan to also cut a radius in the trailing edge, to allow the hood to extend aft, but still allow access below without crawling in like a mole in a hole.

Might anyone have any ideas about stiffing such a radius (radi ?)
I was thinking I could just raise the edge slightly, (good stepping off point for a dodger) but I would like to hear from the panel.

[ebb]

Hello Craig,
I see the laminated seahood as not that much larger than the hatch. It mimics the shape of the hatch, which is a very good little hatch. The hood is there primarily to stop water from getting in under the hatch from forward over the bow, so the hood does not have to go into the companionway space at all. In fact it can terminate forward of the hatch when the hatch is pushed all the way open and even forward of the end of the entire opening - especially if the seahood rises there in an upturned coaming as a water deflecter and attachment for the dodger fabric. Need all the egress space you can get there.

The rubber dam proposal is instead of a seahood. Trying to figure out a way of stopping water from getting below from under the hatch when there is no seahood. Having a seahood is a better idea.

C'pete wants his to be removable. A good idea as it means you can pull maintenance there. Think if you desire a permanent seahood you'ld have to have access hatches to the space. Much more complicated. If you want your instruments/compass over the c'way the design gets more complicated.

Idea in my head for 338 is a strong permanent windscreen with a removable laminated seahood in front of it and a folding or not folding cloth dodger aft.

To keep the profile low, I 'see' (but not well, at the moment) a lid opening in the fabric frame to allow access below. The lid will have to open clear to the windscreen framing. It will be in constant use so it needs to be idiot proof!

[commanderpete]

Sure do like the look of a wooden sea hood. I just lack two things:
a) woodworking skills;
b) power tools.

Decided to go with a fiberglass hood. Used the sliding hatch to form a mold. Extended and squared the sides. Covered it with 1/8" pressboard and then a sheet of plastic.

[commanderpete]

Would probably look better with the sides splayed. But, there's not much room on the cabintop.

I had spent some time at the boat, fussing and figuring about sheet leads and cabintop winch handle clearances. Eventually decided the hood should be as small as possible. Just big enough to get the sliding hatch inside, with a solar panel on top of the sliding hatch. But, I didn't want to build the hood too tight--which would be a disaster.

So, started layng up the glass. Mostly used 32 oz. biaxial cloth with mat attached. Found this stuff on ebay--16 lbs. for $2.50 + $15 shipping. Also used some 12 oz biaxial tape and 9 oz. cloth. This is somewhere in the process, while I'm wetting out the dry spots and rubbing out any air pockets.

[epiphany]

C'pete -

I can almost smell the resin.

Re: stiffening - how about a piece or 2 of foam, glassed to the top of the hood athwartships, from hood edge to hood edge? ie; ribs?

Flare the bases wider than the tops to help them blend in. They wouldn't need to poke up very far to do the job, so they would be easy on the eyes, and wouldn't distract from the look of the vessel, I don't think.