Foamy Hatch Construction

[lthomas987]

I've been digging through threads looking at pictures of how people have built their galley hatches and I am sure I am missing some.

I'm going to collect post links here in this thread to galleys people have documented their builds of. If you want to link your own that would be awesome.

It looks like most people have used some sort of internal wood framing? I presume this is to hold the curve. When building the bikedrop I managed to get my test front curve to hold shape without any wood even with the dog sitting on top of it. (35lbs on a 12"radius half circle) even without canvas it held. I am certain it would have been stiffer with canvas. It flexed a bit I am trying to decide if doing something similar (cutting carefully planned kerfs and gluing them shut) and then canvassing the inside and out will work. I know I need some wood blocking for latches and lights.

My other thought is just build a wood/plywood hatch and cover it with canvas so it looks and paints up the same but isn't actually foam.


ghcoe's #1 with the car trunk like method
ghcoe's #1 with the car trunk like method where he actually builds the hatch
MaryC's Grits with wooden frame inside
Mel (atahoekid)'s Road Foamy has Vertical doors

[GPW]

L, We would think ideally , the correct (mathematically calculated) kerfs , all glued solid would provide the Lightest hatch cover, easier to open/close , waaaay strong enough ... We had a HEAVY hatch cover once with wood ribs , and it took some muscle to deal with , and we had to have a substantial stick to prop it open ... AARGH !!! 
The idea of a canvas “Stage Coach” cover on the back might be interesting ... You could do a snap thing on the edges , and even sew in some stiffeners across the width to support the canvas hatch cover... just roll it up and tie it off with a string in the open position .... much like they did in the old West (Yaa Hoo !!! ) That would be Easy, no wood framing at all , less overall weight ... Just need enough coverage to keep the oatmeal dry and cast iron from rusting ...

[Mary C]

My hatch is heavy but it is also big. So I needed some structure also I wanted the wood on the inside to hold up the future solar panels or boat.

Mary C.

[Papi]

Like you, I was at a standstill trying to figure this out. I read a ton about it, not just on this forum but everywhere I could. Finally I decided to go with barn doors in the rear. It made my build a ton easier, and a year and a half later it's still nice and dry even in a monsoon. The drawback is it offers no protection from drizzly rain or baking sun. But we have a mosquito house for that.

[GPW]

A little roll out awning would be Nice over those barn doors ...

[Papi]

Hmm, never thought of that!

[GPW]

Papi, if you check out the Zephyr, you see an “overhang” built in over the barn doors, doors recessed under the roof end ... The thinking is to provide a way to keep sun and rain off (to some degree) , and provide a slight aerodynamic benefit. (theoretically)
Another thought was to hang a roll up awning under that between overhang and doors ... Something like a window shade you could pull out when wanting shade or shelter. Couple poles for the long end... Simple !!!
With the intent mainly Camping , simple is always BEST !!! And this applies to hatches too... the more complicated and heavy it is , the harder it is to use in the dark , rain, and wind. And JMHO, Although we Love the look of those TD clamshell galley hatches, they are NOT anywhere near as Practical and easy to build , setup , and use as conventional doors... ... and they leak ...
We all build what are extensions of our own personalities... what we want to be seen in ... (mine looks like a horse trailer .. ) Anyway , the thing is, to build what you want , but remember the limitations of each design , and adapt to that . You’re the one that will have to use it...

[Papi]

Simple is best, anywhere and any time! I may have to rethink the awning idea. I may be able to make one work!

I like my barn doors, easy to use, easy to build. If I had it to do over again, I'd still do it this way.

[GPW]

Although it may be fun to construct a window shade type roll up awning ... just a few well placed hooks , where you attach a small tarp to would do the job ... Simple ... when done just fold the tarp up and stow it away .

[Papi]

That's where my mind was headed. The very back of the door frame is wood, so I could screw in some snaps. The roof is foam, so that wouldn't work. But I'm not too worried about water getting under the snaps because I have a rain gutter that looks like a spoiler, sorta. One of these days I'll post pics.

As for buildign a hatch, to me it's complicated to match the curve of the tear with the hatch door. I wasn't confident with my skills in wood (or lack thereof) to make a go of it.

[GPW]

You could always put some “hard points" in the roof to attach snaps, hooks , etc. 1” dowels set flush (glued) in the foam should work fine for that ... skinned over you wouldn’t even see them ...

[atahoekid]

I too have "barn doors", although I like to call them "bakery truck doors". HA!! Anyone else remember the Helms Bakery trucks with the dual back doors? I think someone said it was a SoCal thing. I too have an issue with cooking and KP in the sun so, though not thrifty, but not ungodly expensive, I had an awning made that I attach to the Road Foamy with "common sense fasteners" Here's the link: http://www.sailrite.com/Common-Sense-Cloth-to-Surface-Complete-With-2-Screw-Stud#.U4oYYnZA4qM The base is a stud that can be mounted to a surface and the stud sticks through an eyelet in the fabric. Slip eyelet over stud and twist the stud. I find these a lot easier than snaps. If you're interested in awnings, I found two sources. One is Kristi's awning somewhere in the southeast or there is Marti's in NorCal. I've seen both and think they both make good awnings from really nice fabrics. It took me a little experimenting with the fiberglass tent poles to make it self supporting but I finally have it right. Since I really hate my stuff flying away, I still will tie it down with guy lines if I know wind might be an issue. Since the back of my Road Foamie is all foam too, I actually glued a canvas covered 1 x 3 on the top of the roof and mounted the studs to that. I'll see if I have a picture of the awnings and the mounting bar.

[Papi]

That's kind of what I was looking for! Just something to keep the sun and rain off without being overly complicated.

[Hartse25]

Every thread I read changes my design a little bit. I've gone from a plywood tear to a foamie tear to a more boxy tear and back to a tear shape again. I'm definitely building a foamie, and I'm leaning more towards the tear shape again, but the idea of planning and cutting the kerfs to round it seem like a lot of work. I was thinking maybe of a hybrid of sorts with a plywood roof and hatch, but then I read about how heavy they can be. Not a good idea for a single woman camping alone. Then I see GPW's post about a roll up hatch! I was thinking about doing something like this on the front of my trailer to protect my bike and lawn chairs and whatever I don't want to store inside the tear. I can still have the tear shape with the sides and some boning in the canvas hatch, but instead of having it roll up, I think I could attach some poles and use the hatch as an awning to protect me from the sun and rain while I work. I could even attach another to the side and drop down for a wind break if needed too. My question is how to waterproof this bit of canvas? If I prime it and paint it like the rest of my tear, won't it be too stiff? I suppose if I'm not going to roll it up and just lift it up for my awning, maybe it doesn't matter?

Erin

[ghcoe]

Some things to think about when making the hatch.

1. Is there enough headroom clearance when the hatch is up? Or, will you have to stoop to do your kitchen chores? This will also lead to a sore head if your not careful.

2. Will the hatch even cover you when it is open? when you open a hatch on at traditional TD, the hatch moves up and forward some. If you lift the hatch high enough to clear your head (see above) then it tends to move forward enough to not really cover you much.

3. The bane of all TD's, how do you keep the water from getting in? Lots of ways discussed. Usually expensive or difficult solutions or both.