jaywoodz
Member
- Nov 12, 2012
- 522
- Boat Info
- 1999 Sea Ray 310 Sundancer
- Engines
- Twin 350 MAG MPI Horizon w/V-Drives
I have an original post that I started a while back regarding hatch covers located here. I encourage you to read over that thread prior to continuing so you have an idea of what ideas led up to this project.
Just for a general overview, this post is the process I did for creating very easy to make hatch covers for your Sea Ray (or any boat) in about an hour! These will completely block out sunlight and keep your cabin cool, or if you're like me, I did this so I can sleep in darkness and not get woken up by the early morning sunlight!
Once you've caught up with the post, we're going to start with the step-by-step process on creating hatch covers for $13 & 1 hour!
Step 1: Went to home depot and looked for the every famous "art board" from the last post. Well, when I asked the rep in Home Depot, he looked at me funny. I went out on my own with my friend Mike and found dry-erase board.. yes dry erase board. This is the same material used to write on like in a classroom or work office. It's durable, strong, and THIN! We need thin.. why? because the space between the hatch lever and the screen is 1/8"! Once you find the board, haul it to the boat and double check to make sure it fits! By the way, I paid $13 for this board.
Here is a picture showing the board and its thickness:
Step 2: Okay, we measured the hatch properly by getting a permanent marker and laying the screen down on the board and using the INSIDE where the screen connects to the white part. We drew a line around producing the outline.
Step 3: Double checking TO MAKE SURE we didn't waste any of our time, we decided to cut the corners really quick with a knife and shove it up there to make sure it wasn't too thick and would fit with the screen attached. Here's a pic (background cutting):
It fits! We then took the board back to our shop and did it the right way so it looks good and doesn't let ANY light in.
Step 4: Grab all your screen and create a template using a permanent marker. Pencil will not work, we tried.
Step 5: Use a standing saw to accurately cut each piece out. I had 1 20x20, and 2 12x12's.
Step 6: Once you're done cutting it, DO NOT FORGET to sand it the corners AND all sides. This is very important to make it fit and ensure there won't be any shavings all over your boat. We sanded it very smoothly and it looked amazing!
Doing the corners.. and the sides.
Step 7: Blow them off & wipe down with a clean cloth to remove all the shavings.
Once this is done, you should be ready to rock! Here's a pictuer of the final product 1 hour & $13 later!
I tried them out in my boat last night (I didn't have my phone with me), and they fit perfectly just like in the 3rd picture I posted except the corners aren't cut off, but rounded. NO light gets through, and they fit perfectly! I store them under my matress and will enjoy them for years to come! I may take a picture with all of them installed and see how much light comes in through the side hatches. Another thing I want to mention, there is a white side and a darker grain side. I recommended putting the white side down so it flows with the rest of the white interior (if you have a white interior).
Hope you guys like, and if you have any questions.. please ask!
Just for a general overview, this post is the process I did for creating very easy to make hatch covers for your Sea Ray (or any boat) in about an hour! These will completely block out sunlight and keep your cabin cool, or if you're like me, I did this so I can sleep in darkness and not get woken up by the early morning sunlight!
Once you've caught up with the post, we're going to start with the step-by-step process on creating hatch covers for $13 & 1 hour!
Step 1: Went to home depot and looked for the every famous "art board" from the last post. Well, when I asked the rep in Home Depot, he looked at me funny. I went out on my own with my friend Mike and found dry-erase board.. yes dry erase board. This is the same material used to write on like in a classroom or work office. It's durable, strong, and THIN! We need thin.. why? because the space between the hatch lever and the screen is 1/8"! Once you find the board, haul it to the boat and double check to make sure it fits! By the way, I paid $13 for this board.
Here is a picture showing the board and its thickness:
Step 2: Okay, we measured the hatch properly by getting a permanent marker and laying the screen down on the board and using the INSIDE where the screen connects to the white part. We drew a line around producing the outline.
Step 3: Double checking TO MAKE SURE we didn't waste any of our time, we decided to cut the corners really quick with a knife and shove it up there to make sure it wasn't too thick and would fit with the screen attached. Here's a pic (background cutting):
It fits! We then took the board back to our shop and did it the right way so it looks good and doesn't let ANY light in.
Step 4: Grab all your screen and create a template using a permanent marker. Pencil will not work, we tried.
Step 5: Use a standing saw to accurately cut each piece out. I had 1 20x20, and 2 12x12's.
Step 6: Once you're done cutting it, DO NOT FORGET to sand it the corners AND all sides. This is very important to make it fit and ensure there won't be any shavings all over your boat. We sanded it very smoothly and it looked amazing!
Doing the corners.. and the sides.
Step 7: Blow them off & wipe down with a clean cloth to remove all the shavings.
Once this is done, you should be ready to rock! Here's a pictuer of the final product 1 hour & $13 later!
I tried them out in my boat last night (I didn't have my phone with me), and they fit perfectly just like in the 3rd picture I posted except the corners aren't cut off, but rounded. NO light gets through, and they fit perfectly! I store them under my matress and will enjoy them for years to come! I may take a picture with all of them installed and see how much light comes in through the side hatches. Another thing I want to mention, there is a white side and a darker grain side. I recommended putting the white side down so it flows with the rest of the white interior (if you have a white interior).
Hope you guys like, and if you have any questions.. please ask!