The need for an improvement is defined by the formula:
Frequency of task x degree of pain in ass = need to improve
Hatch boards are removed and installed often and are always a little pain to find a place to store. Here is a little modification that makes me happy pretty much every day. I built brackets at the bottom to receive the board and little clasps to hold in place.
I like the way you think! That equation makes perfect sense to me. I’ve been reading through your improvements and love them. You do really nice quality work.
Thanks so much for the comments Kimberly. Are you sailing a 473?
We are about 8 months from our first circumnavigation launch. We’ve been getting rid of stuff and have sold our old boats. We kept the kayak and canoe because we couldn’t part with them… But we are going to finish liquidating by summer. I’ve been leaning more towards a multihull but am keeping my options open. I found a well-kept Jeanneau reasonably priced not far from us. I do have to decide in the next couple of months so we can have her and us all ready. I really like the Dragonfly concept. Your blog has given me quite a bit to think about. Most of my sailing experience is in monohulls. I think the hardest part is deciding if we stick with what we know or try something new.
Having lived 2 years on the 473 and now after several months on the cat….I gotta say I sure do love the space, speed, and comfort we experience with our PDQ. Good luck on your plans and search.
Where did you get the wood to make the brackets and hatch? What kind of wood is it. Love this idea!
Hi Lisa, the wood is cherry. I cut the rails to size and then used a router to cut the slots in. For the stain I went to a woodworkers store and got oil based cherry stain and red dye. Added drops of red until I got a good match.
That is so cool! I have the same problem every day. Thanks Jeff.
Al Hyde