Big Gap in My Knowledge- Sliding doors

[Chotu]

Does anyone have thoughts on how to approach sliding doors on a catamaran?

My coach roof and sole at the entry point to the salon are both cambered to let water flow off them. This means the edges of the floor and roof are highest in the center of the door area and slope downward as they head towards the outer edges of the door cutout.

I have a 6" high section you step over at the doorway for proper design (lacking in many cats) which keeps some water from a potentially flooded aft area from coming into the salon.

Given these issues, I'm thinking a track like this, glued to the "wall" above the door cutout would be the best option. However, this is too weak and flimsy. Not recommend for hanging sliding doors it says.




Does anyone know the best/accepted way to do a sliding door on a boat, given I have to glue the track to the areas surrounding the door cutout?

What tracks are available? Any examples of the tracks?

How do I make it air tight and keep the bugs out when closed?

Also, what adhesive is best to stick the track to the wall?

Thanks! Out of my depth here.

[Chotu]

Would also consider premade doors if they fit and aren't crazy prices.

[GRIT]

Judging by the lack of suggestions, I'd say it's an area where we all lack knowledge.

I would suggest building a shelf and header, for the track, top and bottom.

With a shelf, more "standard" solutions could be adapted, from, say, home Depot, and the like.

I like the track you've shown, but I don't think you'll ever keep the " no seeums" out, with that design track.

Cheers, and good luck.

Paul.

[chrisr]

I know Lagoons use a sliding door...why not go onboard a friendly one and see how they do it ?

We use bi-fold doors on our cat (and we have a raised sill at the entrance...wouldn't be without it !)

cheers,

[Fore and Aft]

I have seen a mainsheet track and cars used for sliders. The only issue was that the door slid a little to freely and needed to be locked in place all the time. A very well respected Australian boat builder I know recently purchased his cabin doors from a caravan manufacturer. He was so impressed with the doors on his caravan he thought why not on a boat?
Cheers

[Montanan]

https://www.boatoutfitters.com/hardw...-door-hardware

https://www.freemanmarine.com/doors/1710-series/

https://www.freemanmarine.com/doors/1720-1726-series/

https://www.freemanmarine.com/doors/1730-1736-series/

[psk125]

Are the cambers in the sole and coach roof parallel? Then parallel tracks could carry doors that were similarly cambered at the top and bottom. They would slide together in the middle, and open in a “V” shape as they slid outboard. If the sole and coach roof cambers aren’t parallel, or if the tracks can’t be made to be parallel, it’s a different problem. What sort of closure is needed? Does it need to be a solid, more or less watertight door that can be locked against intrusion, or would fabric with (or without) a vinyl window work? Would a curtain suffice? Beads? Perhaps not.

Most home-style sliding doors are designed to hang from rollers. On a boat this may not be the best design. Each wavelet will make them bang in their casings. On a boat, doors that slid in a slot built for their bottoms- so gravity would generally keep them from banging- and held in place by a guide bar at their tops - could be designed to cover over a wide range of door openings.

If there is a 6” sill to keep water out, it may be possible to build a slot on the face of the sill that matches the curve/camber of the coachroof for the doors to slide in. Getting everything parallel, so that it works, will call for careful joinery.

[jimbunyard]

Originally Posted by Chotu

Does anyone have thoughts on how to approach sliding doors on a catamaran?

My coach roof and sole at the entry point to the salon are both cambered to let water flow off them. This means the edges of the floor and roof are highest in the center of the door area and slope downward as they head towards the outer edges of the door cutout.

I have a 6" high section you step over at the doorway for proper design (lacking in many cats) which keeps some water from a potentially flooded aft area from coming into the salon.

Given these issues, I'm thinking a track like this, glued to the "wall" above the door cutout would be the best option. However, this is too weak and flimsy. Not recommend for hanging sliding doors it says.




Does anyone know the best/accepted way to do a sliding door on a boat, given I have to glue the track to the areas surrounding the door cutout?

What tracks are available? Any examples of the tracks?

How do I make it air tight and keep the bugs out when closed?

Also, what adhesive is best to stick the track to the wall?

Thanks! Out of my depth here.

With a straight and parallel header and sill.

It might be possible to build (a) sliding doors( ) with a cambered, parallel header and sill, but they'd (it'd) have to butt in the center.

I'd be very surprised if you find anything like this available from a commercial source, though you might find someone to fabricate something. The track isn't the problem, the doors will be the engineering challenge.

For anything but an inshore, fair weather boat or dock queen, the ultimate usefulness, functionality and problems associated with such a design will likely outweigh any immediate advantage; perennial sealing and seaworthiness would be the hardest goals to achieve.

Though, as long as the cambers are constant and parallel, I think it could be done.

[Chotu]

Thanks for all the new information on this thread.

The cambers are, of course, different from each other. Can't be easy, can it? No. Ha ha.

I'm going to have to do as Grit suggested and make parallel surfaces built up from the sole. This is a Catamaran in case anyone was wondering.

[Fore and Aft]

Chotu not to many cats I have surveyed have sliding doors. Usually the doors fold back or up. Take a look at the Seawind 1160 for the ultimate door set up.....
Cheers

[Chotu]

Originally Posted by Fore and Aft

Chotu not to many cats I have surveyed have sliding doors. Usually the doors fold back or up. Take a look at the Seawind 1160 for the ultimate door set up.....
Cheers

Actually, I have always looked at those Seawind doors and wanted them. Ha ha funny you mention. Almost everything about a Seawind is well engineered.

It's not a bad idea and I will give them another look.

[valhalla360]

We had one on our flybridge power boat...really liked it but you had to use the latches to hold it open or closed. If it wasn't and the boat started rocking, it would slam pretty hard.

If I remember correctly, the floor and roof were cambered also...they just made the cutout square.

[Chotu]

Ok, after a couple "no" votes, does anyone have any other ideas as to seaworthy and easy ways to open a large area between the deckhouse and aft deck on a Catamaran? We have the Seawind idea, where they fold up out of the way. Are these still sliders though? They do all stack over each other. Anything else? I'm kind of open here.

I don't love the open canvas of a new boat at all. It's so stressful to try to make all the right decision.

[Montanan]

Launch of the new range of Sport sliding-doors by Goiot Systems – GOIOT-SYSTEMS

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