Recently I blogged about preventing the rear cabin doors from striking the paintwork on the exterior paintwork. I also mentioned needing to find a way to secure the exterior cabin doors shut when we are outside on the stern. The doors can be secured from the inside using a tower bolt located at the base of one door. However it is very difficult to reach the tower bolt when outside. We want to be able to secure the doors closed when outside during inclement weather. I think I’ve identified a solution. We will use a cupboard door hook. So on Saturday we purchased a stainless steel cupboard hook and today I fitted it.
The first step was to identify a suitable location somewhere near the top of the doors making it easy to reach. The port (left) door closes after the starboard and has a steel weather strip on the centre edge. Therefore securing the port door will actually secure both doors. The strongest geometric shape is a triangle so I needed to create a triangular shape between the door, cabin bulkhead and the hook. I temporarily located and adjusted the position of the hoop using duct tape.
Once I was satisfied with the position the screw holes were predrilled and the hook fixed in place making sure the hook will actually lift out of the ‘eye’.
The triangular shape has been achieved.
The hook has actually worked out rather well. It’s strong and the doors are secured without them rattling. Just as I was feeling pleased with myself Jan called me to the bedroom cabin to point out there was some condensation inside the bow end of the locker above the bedhead. You have to accept there will be some condensation inside the boat. It primarily originates from us and the cooking. But it’s not acceptable to have any condensation inside a compartment. We must have a cold spot in the insulation. We used to photograph the outside of the buildings with infra-red film down in Antarctica to identify where heat was leaking out and then fix it. I’d like to take an infra-red photo of the exterior of Waiouru and do the same. However what I’ve done is to remove the ceiling trim from inside the locker. The void behind the trim is insulated with spray foam but I can fill the void with foam. I’ve purchased a 750ml aerosol of spray foam insulation from eBay and will do it in 3-4 days time. Meanwhile the trim has been left off to allow the condensation to evaporate. Jan has also placed the small dehumidifier in the locker to assist. I’m actually surprised with the appearance of the condensation as it didn’t manifest itself last winter.
2 comments :
We have an interesting device, presumably devised by the previous owners, to open the bottom bolt from the outside - it is a wooden handle about 18" long, with a triangular metal loop on the end which you hook over the bolt and pull up. It's no use for closing the doors from outside though - instead we have a hook on one door and eye on the other, near the top - not as elegant as your solution! The triangular loop means it can easily be hung up just inside the back doors ready for use. No picture as we are at home at the moment! Good luck with knocking the condensation on the head
Debby
Debby,
The wooden handle is an effective and low cost option for opening the doors from the outside (as long as the handle doesn't get lost or left inside!).
I can't get rid of the condensation because we are creating it from inside. But I will attempt to prevent it forming on the inside of the double glazed Houdini hatch frames.
Tom
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