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Pink plexiglass

HerbertFriedman

Member III
I am replacing my teak companionway boards with a set of plexiglass doors and am trying to decide on which tint color to use. The usual is smoke grey but all the (Lewmar) portlites and hatches as well as the companionway hatch use a pink tint plexiglass. Anyone know where to get this material?
 

tenders

Innocent Bystander
You must have a rare Ericsdaughter sailboat, designed by Bruce Queen.

Parts are available at the Hello Kitty store.
 

Loren Beach

O34 - Portland, OR
Senior Moderator
Blogs Author
Good for a chuckle...

Actually, I recall seeing that particular tint in a Lewmar catalog many years ago, and wondered if anyone actually installed ports with a light pink-ish tint.
:rolleyes:

Best to check with a large plastics firm, like maybe Tap Plastics. (?)

Loren
 

HerbertFriedman

Member III
my boat is an '87 34 and I did not know Bruce King had a daughter named Bruce Queen, but maybe so. The plexiglass definitely has a pink tint but maybe it is thinner than the 1/2" that I need for these doors. I tried Tap plastics and all of the online vendors (some were much cheaper than Tap, BTW),no luck. The only tint color for 1/2 inch material was smoke grey.

Assuming I go with the 1/2 inch grey, anyone know of any vendors who can work with plexi to make my companionway doors? I have a reply from an Ericon owner who made his own plexi doors but I am not very good at working with plexi.
 

Mort Fligelman

Member III
Plexiglass or Lexan?????

Reason I ask......forget Plexiglass......what UV does to Lexan......nuff said....

Years ago I had companionway boards made of Lexan that were supposed to be a Bronze tint......as I remember they were not very dark, and could have been a bit pinkish.....

At the suggestion of my friend who helped me get and fabricate the material, we made them of 3/8 Material, and put 1/4 inch strips on the sides of the panels which faced inside of the cabin......made them much lighter..... since my slip faced East I wanted to keep the afternoon sun at bay, so we covered the inside of the panels with widhshield tint film......used them for more than 15 years with no problem.....

Hope this is of some help to you.......good luck
 

clp

Member III
Here is another version that is very easy. 1/4" plexi, 1/2" wood strips varnished on, an hour maybe. This was supposed to be temporary, but it is still in use. It only slides up a couple of inches and it is out. Or in.
 

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tenders

Innocent Bystander
You should not assume symmetry when you're making the replacement - the hatch looks like an even trapezoid, but the left angle is not necessarily the same as the right angle!

I found this out the hard way.
 

HerbertFriedman

Member III
Tenders, I thought you were kidding about the Hello Kitty store, I looked it up, there really is such a store, they dont sell 1/2 inch pink plexi though.
 

HerbertFriedman

Member III
Tenders, I too found out that symmetry on a boat is a myth. But now I have a template made from 1/4 inch plywood and yes I had to trim 1/4 inch at an angle at the bottom to make it fit. I am looking to use kitchen cabinet style hinges (actually found some stainless steel versions) but they require a 1/2" deep round bore so I really need 3/4" plexi if this is going to work. Normal kitchen cabinet doors are all 3/4" for that very reason, or maybe vice versa. Tinted plexi only comes in 1/2" thickness maximum so I will need to glue on some 1/4" strips at the edges. I have located a fellow in upstate NY, who does companionway doors, I am sending him some photos to see if he will do this project, it is more than I can do, takes precision cutting tools, etc. If I am successful, will let you know.

What I am looking for is anyway to reduce the time to get out of the slip. I just made a stack pack from a Sailrite kit, saved 20 mins or more, now looking to just open the companionway doors and not bother stowing them all the time. Next, if I could just find someone to sail the boat, I could stay home and really save time.
 

tenders

Innocent Bystander
I had some work done by the shop I think you've found, in Ithaca, and probably found them the same way you did (Good Old Boat mag ad). While the end product was fine, it wasn't cheap and took a very long time to get done even though I had provided them with all the material (3/4" Starboard) and a pattern (old handrails). I happened to have business in Ithaca but were it not for my repeated calls and stopping by on a regular basis I'm not sure the job would've been done yet!

Point being, you can probably find a suitable woodworker in a San Francisco boatyard or cabinet shop and alleviate a lot of potential hassle.

You've probably thought this through, but on my boat, 3/4" slabs of material swinging around on hinges in the cockpit would not be convenient or welcome. Something - the boat, the doors, your teeth, maybe all three - is going to get chipped.

I would not kid about the Hello Kitty store.
 

clp

Member III
Yes, a swinging door REQUIRES a removable hinge. I would never do it with a fixed version..
 

HerbertFriedman

Member III
tenders, thanks for the warning, yes it is Ithaca that I am talking to. regarding the swinging doors, my plan would be to fix the doors in the open position with something like a "hook and eye". I thought of spring loaded hinges but I dont think they are strong enough. Anyone else have any thoughts on how to secure the doors in the open position. I had considered a magnetic catch but rust in the problem although there is a alloy of stainless steel that is magnetic.
 
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