Reinforcing an access hatch
The cockpit enclosure on Bob Goode’s Jeanneau 32 keeps out the rain, but still provides ample ventilation and a good view out
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Back when I started sailing I had a Hurley 22 and, as the family grew, I needed (but couldn’t afford) a bigger boat – so I solved the problem with a cockpit cover. Our present boat is a Jeanneau 32, but even that could seem small when it had been pouring and you needed somewhere to strip off your wet gear without making the cabin all damp. Yet another cockpit cover was called for. (See Practical Projects, PBO August 2011).
The basic cover, which could be set up in about two minutes, created a dry area at the front of the cockpit. It allowed the hatch to be kept open without rain blowing in and provided dry seating under the sprayhood, where the weather-weary could at least sit in the dry and watch others getting soaked. The downside was that, depending on the wind direction, rain could blow under one side or from astern, rendering half the cockpit unusable.
With retirement looming and more time being spent on board, yet another a solution was required: side curtains and a rear enclosure. The problem is that I really like fresh air and am a bit nosey when in harbour, so I have to be able to see what is happening around me. My original idea was for two side curtains that could be clipped to the cover and tensioned to the lower guardrail with shock cord: the downside of this approach is that the measurements would need to be pretty much spot-on. In the end I opted for a 50mm-wide strip of Velcro sewn onto the mating edges. This makes for a strong connection with no holes for rain to leak through, and allows a great deal of adjustment when fitting the pieces. (If I had dodgers on the boat I wouldn’t need these pieces!) Air can still circulate, but the rain can’t blow far enough underneath to reach the cockpit.
At the stern
The stern was dealt with in a similar way. Careful measurements were taken with the cover in place and drawn out on paper. Again, the 50mm Velcro joining strip allows for adjustment when fitting, or if the material stretches with use. Two large windows were included to ensure light and a view!
I deliberately didn’t take the cover to deck level as I wanted plenty of air circulating, and didn’t want the material getting dirty from the decks (the crew can’t be trusted to swab the decks as thoroughly as I would like…).
Armed with the drawings, I approached a local cover maker who made the pieces up for me. In practice, a lot of time is spent when first fitting the pieces in getting the correct tension on the shock cord, but thereafter the whole cover can be in place in less than five minutes. Putting it away takes a little longer as you need to be careful not to crease the window material.