Original companionway sill
Cut away for top of new bridge deck
Watch out for wires when cutting
Watch out for wires when cutting
Watch out for wires when cutting
A view of the companionway sill looking out
The new bridge deck fiberglass
The inside of the bridge deck from the cabin
After the big cut
Tabbing in the deck
The last big cut
The gap with the steps in place
This is the original companionway entrance. The sill is just a few inches high. At sea, I would travel with the bottom washboard in place, but it wasn't a very satisfactory way to travel, especially when I forgot to put it in and we got knocked down...
When I installed the new bridge deck, I cut a gap in the companionway so that I could install the new fiberglass plus keep out water, critters, and other things until I got the new fiberglass in place. Along the bottom and the sides of the cockpit are right angles for tabbing the new bridge deck in place. The old scuppers have to be moved to a place outside the bridge deck.
It turned out that there are a bundle of wires that run along the companionway opening. When I was cutting out the fiberglass, I "found" these wires. I used a Fein saw, which enabled me not to cut too deeply and just knick these wires.
Before the big cut...
I built this bridge deck last year but never got around to installing it. To position it properly, I fiberglassed some right-angle pieces in the correct location in the cockpit. I then used mat and resin to quickly bond the bridge deck to the right-angles. The weights hold the bridge deck in place until the resin cures.
I used two cams (only one shown) to help set up the correct height of the new deck. I wanted the outside of the deck to be flush with the cockpit seats. These cams allowed me to easily adjust the deck height in very small steps.
I cut away the companionway sill exposing the entire bridge deck. While cutting, I found the wire bundle and was able to pull it out of the way while cutting. All the wires were taped in place with masking tape during original constructon. For now, the wires are hanging clear, but I'll put them into a wire channel.
I added tabbing all around the bridge deck to strengthen it.
I cut away the floor area that was under the new bridge deck. Opening up that space now makes engine access much easier. There still are some wires that have to move.
Cutting away the area under the bridge deck left a hole that was 8" wide.
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Original companionway sill
This is the original companionway entrance. The sill is just a few inches high. At sea, I would travel with the bottom washboard in place, but it wasn't a very satisfactory way to travel, especially when I forgot to put it in and we got knocked down...