This last “quick” visit, the door to the head wouldn’t open. Good thing I wasn’t underway… When time allows I’ll take it off the hinges to gain access and investigate. It’s not the handle slipping. It makes no sense since doors shrink in cold weather (although it is under shrink wrap).
Anyway - off hand, does anyone know if there is a depth adjustment for the latch bolt, or should I bring a chisel along and set the strike plate deeper.
Thanks,
Jon
Is your boat on the hard? If so it could be deformed just enough to make the door stick. I had an issue that if the yard sat her down a bit hard the board to the engine bay would just not quite fit but in the water it fits perfectly.
I would wait until she is in the water and settles before making any permanent adjustments.
Colle
I never would have thought of that. Thanks, I’ll strike that from the list for now.
Thanks,
Jon
“Hippo”? I know she’s beamy, but really…
Jon,
Was Inua’s head door working prior to this last visit ?
Usually on the hard, boats acclimate after a couple weeks, I’d have guessed Inua’s head door would have stuck sooner if caused by resting on her keel. Maybe it did and went unnoticed.
Humidity is another factor worth considering as a possible cause for stuck doors. I monitor relative humidity on Soave, not for the woodwork, but to avoid mold .
In the winter, I tolerate a little higher than normal humidity. Below 40ºF the risk of mold is very low. A reading of 70% or higher motivates me to sponge out any residual water that has collected in her bilge. Water collects, mostly from condensation and sometimes from rain/snow that sneaks in. I got about 2 quarts the last time I was working on Soave. Some came from the waste tank removal when I tilted the tank.
Spring ( before the cover is off ) is a critical time since there is more day/night temp variation ( mold grows better when it is warmer). If I see 75% or higher I take action. Avoiding mold is easier than cleaning it up.
My favorite dew point calculator is ( HERE ). It shows the risk of mold which is critical on a boat in storage, especially if you have any equipment on the boat.
Good luck.
I hadn’t noticed earlier - I left the door ajar for a while, then somewhere along the line closed it and now couldn’t open it.
That’s very good info on humidity. My bilge is not totally dry. On my 30 there was easy access to keep it clean and dry, on the 26 there’s a lot of stuff in a narrow space.
Yea Soave was the same before I removed her waste tank.
I removed the tank to access Soave’s keel bolts, making it easy to keep the bilge dry is a secondary benefit.
Hi Rob,
I opened the link to the Dew Point Calculator but the sliders will not move. What’s the trick?
Brian Cayer
Brian,
On my phone the sliders don’t work, but on my computer they work on both Chrome ( Google ) and Safari ( Apple ) browsers.
At the top of each of the gauges there is a radio button that allow you to specify which variable to solve for.
I usually select “dew point”… as shown in the attached screenshot.
( HERE ) is the link again.
Rob,
I am trying to open it on my iPad 16 Pro on Safari but the sliders don’t work. Perhaps it needs a computer or laptop to work
Brian
Brian,
I don’t have an iPad, but it makes sense that it behaves similar to my phone… both are mobile interfaces.
The gist is, keep the relative humidity below 75% if the temp is going to be warmer than 50º F.
Be well, and stay warm… looks like we may be getting more snow this weekend.
I sailed on a 47ft cold molded race boat that when the hydraulic backstay was cranked on, the head door wouldn’t open. Just testing Discourse too. 
Don
