Cabin Door issues ....

[cSickNick]

Have you Seafari owners or other cabin door owners noticed the amount of flexing in the corners of the door frame under heavy use. Even before mounting my hardtop, a tradeoff which I know adds more stress, the door frame corners were cracking and door would not close.

I spent a little effort this year in squaring off the door and frame, adding more glass in the inside corners. So far so good until I left the door home during comm bass season. The corner popped again(yeah it was a rough day ) outside the added glass areas at the next weakest spot. It is apparent to me that with the door in/closed, it helps to hold that whole door frame area together.

The Seafari glass door frame is part of the top that(from what i see) is only tied to the inner liner with screws under the 2 teak strips on each side just above the footrests. It looks like some putty was on the inside of cabin near the gunnels, but that’s all cracked and brittle doing nothing now. Also, the guage panel fiberglass area has been cut all out over the years, so not much glass left under the starboard guage panel i installed.

So, curious on what you guys think it needs to beef up. I am no expert, but to me it seems like the door frame on the top needs to be glasses to the inner liner anyplace possible to make it all flex as one.

Any thoughts?

- Nick

[rockdoc]

Nick,

My two upper corners are cracked too. I've been looking at that and wondering about a good fix. I'll take a really good look this weekend, and let you know what I think.

rockdoc

[oldbluesplayer]

Nick -I think I am in the same boat, so to speak - my cabin door assembly was fine, until this year when I came back from MV in some nasty stuff - the door frame popped part way over = the door was open at the time, my son popped it back into place with his fist and closed the door - one of those spur of the moment things under trying conditions - so far it hasn't popped again, but I know the upper left corner of the frame is weak/cracked/broken, and needs to be looked at.

I'm a little uncertain that you and I are built the same way, though - my cap/foredeck/dashboard drops down and then stops, on each side of the door I have large wooden panels, formica covered on the outside, that drop down to just above the footrest area of the floor/inner liner - there are 4 bolts, at both top and bottom, at the top they go thru the glass, into this wood panel - I believe with t-nuts pressed into the wood on the inside. On my boat, with any rough water conditions, the top set of bolts on the left side tend to loosen up significantly.

I have to check the condition of the t-nuts - they are under the inside cabin carpet covering, but if okay, I was thinking of just loc-titing the bolts into place, too keep them from loosening. I believe these two wood plates, either side of the cabin door, lend significant cross-wise - anti-torque stiffness to the hull-top structure.

I think you can see what I have, here -



Don't know if that helps any - but the door frame is only going to react to what is happening with the underlying structure, so that's what needs help...

or just stay out of the really rough stuff... yeah, right

Bill

[cSickNick]

Thanks Rocko,

Kinda glad you have the same issue and suspect others have or will at some point.

Maybe some type of knees in the corners could distribute the stress in these 90 degree door frame areas.

Any others hear the beautiful creeking sound of fiberglass fibers colliding and separating while underway ....

- Nick

[cSickNick]

Hey Bill,

I did not see your post til now because of close timing.

Funny, i have been slaming the door and frame with kicks/fists to keep it inline also! The MV/Nantucket waters finished the door/frame off.

Something has to be done now for next season. If anyone plans to restore this area needs to be beefed up if you plan to challenge these boats ....

- Nick

[nestorpr]

Mine also flexes but I also noticed that keeping the door closed during hard running helps keep it down quite a bit. Mine doesn't have any cracks in the area and I have no problems opening or closing the door but I do need to replace the sealant around the door frame and the fiberglass opening quite often, I'm going to start using a more flexible sealant from now on. This might be a case where too much stiffening might be a bad thing, maybe it would better if you allowed it to flex as originally designed but keep the door closed so it keeps it's shape? I really have no idea but sometimes if one thing doesn't work maybe trying its opposite might. Good luck!

[cSickNick]

... maybe it would better if you allowed it to flex as originally designed but keep the door closed so it keeps it's shape?

Now you tell me , but you could be right on.
Get the door frame re-squared and the closed door with a snug fit is a good original option.

I wonder what Hermco and other glass experts think?

[oldbluesplayer]

hmmmm - out of sight, out of mind ...

I have been noticing, when going thru quartering seas, this seems to be my boats weak link, and it does put a torsional stress on the hull.

I went up in the cabin, pulled out the cushions, and opened the forward storage hatch. There is a plywood bulkhead in there, up against the inner liner wall, that was glassed to the hull... I say was, because the glass is broken all the way across the hull-bulkhead interface. This would definitely reduce the anti-torsional stiffness of the hull, and allow more force into the hull, and make the cabin wall, around the door frame, work harder in it's role of providing anti-torsional stiffness - ie, more likely to fail over time - which may be why I'm seeing those cabin wall attach bolts loosen up repeatedly.

Others with Seafari's may want to check this out - open that front locker up, and look down in and back against the inner liner wall, and where it's tabbed to the hull.

just a thought. It's glassin' time !!!

Bill