Securing companionway offshore

[sanibel sailor]

I had been thinking about doing an ocean race, dropped the idea, but in reviewing equipment requirements, it had some good recommendations that I am planning on carrying out. One of the rules is that the companionway needs a securable arrangement operable from the exterior AND interior.

My companionway design is all wrong. No bridgedeck and tapered sides allow washboards to come out after lifted an inch or two. Rattle-loose fit depends on gravity to keep water out. Not waterproof to pressure. I will need to fit a lanyard to keep the boards from lifting- easy enough. Lowest one should stay fitted full time when offshore. Probably arrange some sort of foam seal to impede water ingress.

What have people done to secure the slider? I have a deadbolt inside and a hasp/padlock outside. Both work fine, as long as you're not on the other side. Show me your arrangements or ones you've seen.

I read about one hopeful solo circumnavigator who locked themself out of the cabin on the second day of their first passage- wound up abandoning the entire voyage.

[sanibel sailor]

It's not easy to get all three pictures crooked!

[a64pilot]

Sliding bolt lock on the sliding hatch on the inside, as it sits over the hatch boards with only a 1/4” gap, it effectively locks the boards in place. Hatch boards are tongue and groove so they would seal pretty well I think, but even without the tongue and groove what little water got through would not be a safety hazard
Exterior a hasp like everyone else.
Pretty sure it was a factory fitment.

[Breaking Waves]

Decent osr complying hatch latch (it has a knob inside allowing it to be opened/closed from either side)

There are also some sliding bolts which can be operated from both sides, but they are a bit more difficult to install than the above. (Typically require a routed slot). And there are solutions using pins which can be pulled/pushed from either side.

Someone ping chuck hawley, he is on here occasionally. He used to have a presentation outlining all the descent options for doing this (he was both a race inspector and in charge of the US rule implementation). Edit this is not what I was thinking of, but is one of his and is relevant

[psk125]

Hatch latch looks like it would work on hinged companionway doors, but the link doesn’t show the inside arrangement or how it would keep drop boards down. For vertical drop boards there would need to be some sort of hook that would catch on a protruding screw or nub. A64’s setup, with a barrel bolt at the inside top edge which can be easily reached from either the inside or outside, looks like it would work well. Does it comply with the rule, however, if you have to open the sliding hatch cover an inch in order to reach the barrel bolt?

[psk125]

Thinking more about this...

What about putting cleats at the bottom of the entryway, inside and out? Then run a lanyard through a hole at the top of the drop board, so that it cold be cleated inside and out. Put another hole at the bottom of the drop board, lead the lanyard through it, and splice the ends to make the lanyard continuous, with a bit of slack. The slack and hole at the bottom would allow for either side to uncleat and free the board, or to pull it tight and lock it in. The drop board(s) could be a set just used for blue water or racing, and wouldn’t have to be the nice teak ones you usually bring out in port.

[Breaking Waves]

Originally Posted by psk125

Hatch latch looks like it would work on hinged companionway doors, but the link doesn’t show the inside arrangement

Its basically just a knob on the inside, which can open/close the outside latch.


or how it would keep drop boards down.

The sliding hatch lip above the washboards typically keeps the washboards in when the hatch is closed. You still need a lanyard (or bolt) on the hatch boards for when the sliding hatch is open - but this does not need to be 'two-sided closed operation' if you can open the sliding hatch and reach it.

For vertical drop boards there would need to be some sort of hook that would catch on a protruding screw or nub. A64’s setup, with a barrel bolt at the inside top edge which can be easily reached from either the inside or outside, looks like it would work well. Does it comply with the rule, however, if you have to open the sliding hatch cover an inch in order to reach the barrel bolt?

No, does not comply with the rule as shown because you can not open from outside. To do that you either need a barrel bolt with two handles, one of which goes thru a slot to be operated from the outside, or there is a clever way to do it with a spring loaded bolt with a laynard to the outside - like this:

..........

[psk125]

Looking more closely at the Hatch-Latch, the opening hook that slides over the fastened track becomes apparent. At first glance it simply appeared to be just a fancy hasp.

Would a spring-loaded bolt & lanyard be capable of being locked from the outside? Perhaps if it latched shut automatically when the drop board was put in place.

[sanibel sailor]

Some good ideas here. The solution needs to be tailored to the existing hatch. My slider for instance overhangs the washboards by about 1-1/2" and the slider is just a fiberglass shell about 1/4" thick. Limits some of the options.

[dljones]

On my last off-shore boat, the companionway was rebuilt making the hatch sides vertical instead of slanting so you had to pull each board all the way up to remove it. The boards were also changed to be about 1 inch thick, were made from a pressed high density material that was bullet proof and completely impervious to sea water. the size of the companionway was also reduced and the slider for the boards were made from 3 inch square Iroko. That way there was a solid 1 inch thick on each side of the companionway board for structural support. At that time there was an all-weather latch that was available that could be opened from the inside or outside similar to a surface mount bolt latch used on an exterior household door. I was actually hoping to find a link to a similar latching system in this thread as I've been looking for a latch like that recently and have not been able to find one. Wish I could be of more help.

dj

[TheOffice]

I use a plywood dropboard offshore with a barrel bolt on the inside. Drilled a hole so I can reach in with my finger to move the bolt. The hole is covered with a small piece of plastic screwed into the board that swivels out of the way. It is hideous but functional.

Easy way is what someone else suggested - cam cleats inside and out below the board and a line that goes over the upper edge of the board.

[Breaking Waves]

Originally Posted by dljones

At that time there was an all-weather latch that was available that could be opened from the inside or outside similar to a surface mount bolt latch used on an exterior household door.

We totally replaced drop boards, with hinged Dutch door, and used a standard industrial (stainless) handle/lock (like this one)

I much preferred the doors to drop boards, much easier and faster to handle. The lower part of the Dutch door allowed you to block off the lower part of the entrance in “splashy” conditions while still having good air flow below. And the handle/locks Meg all requirements and gave you a real strong key lock for security. It seemed to me a really nice solution.

There are also simpler handle/latches , stainless

[sanibel sailor]

The washboards/dropboards are easy. It is securing the slider that is a challenge.

[a64pilot]

On mine the barrel bolt secures the sliding hatch, and the hatch being closed secures the boards.
You cannot access the barrel bolt from outside, to secure the boards from outside, you would use the lock hasp that locks the sliding hatch to the top board

[sanibel sailor]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

On mine the barrel bolt secures the sliding hatch, and the hatch being closed secures the boards.
You cannot access the barrel bolt from outside, to secure the boards from outside, you would use the lock hasp that locks the sliding hatch to the top board

I have the same arrangement now. Looking for a simultaneous inside AND outside solution.