Black Sliding Doors and Catalina Customer Service

[Claygr1]

Just got off a 30 minute wait to speak to an actual person in the Catalina parts department.  They previously had not responded to two voice mails and an e-mail so I wasn't going to go away this time.  One of my reasons for purchasing a Catalina was the customer service from an established brand that is still in business, so this was frustrating, to say the least.  It's also contrary to what I have read on this site about Catalina responsiveness, so I'm wondering whether this is a new phenomenom? 

The reason for my call to them was that we broke one of the black sliding doors in our 1989 boat.  It turns out that Catalina no longer makes replacements either in plastic or the ash alternative that they made for several years in the 1990s.  Their suggestion was to contact a local carpenter. 

Before I begin to investigate custom-manufactured options, I am wondering if anyone has found a source for replacement doors.  Thanks!

[Craig Illman]

When I had one of mine break at the handle, I just had it replicated at a local plastics shop. http://www.clearcutplastics.com/

Craig

[steve stoneback]

Clay,

Most commercial glass companies have or can get the dark acrylic to replace your broken slider.  

What I did the first year we got our boat was take them all out and replace them with formica.  I used the acrylic as patterns.  I glued two layers of white formica back to back.  It sure brightened up the interior.

Steve

[Ken Juul]

The acrylic is a standard thickness, you can get it in various colors and various levels of gray.  The Handles are the weak points.  If you get new ones cut, might ask them to laminate on a backing plate of plastic in the area where the handles attach to give some more strength. Or consider adding large fender washers behind the handle screws.

[RV61]

When I replaced mine I went to a plastics web site cant remember which one and  gave them the demensions. Caution the aft and port side in main saloon are different sizes.  I used my old ones for a templete. Instead of putting handles on I simply had finger holes made  thus avoiding the whole issue again. 

[Jon Schneider]

If the plastic broke at the pull-handle, you probably have enough length to either cut the broken piece off or reverse the sliders, so the broken piece is always behind the forward slider.  Similar to Ken's suggestion to reinforce the handle area, there is an idea posted in the Projects section (I think... or maybe on this board) where the owner took a thin piece of teak and about 2" or 3" wide by the height of the slider, and covered the broken piece where the handle was.  It looks nice and provides a truly superior handle mount that will never break.

PS: Regarding contacting CY, I'm not sure I've ever heard anyone speak highly of their responsiveness.  It's a miracle that you can actually attempt to get through to the manufacturer (e.g., it's not like you could call GM or Toyota and get advice), but you have to try really hard.  Once you get through, they're pretty good, and if it's something that requires (or garners) Frank Butler's attention, I understand it's an amazing experience.  But in terms of returning a phone call, that's not a sure thing.  BTW, remember: you are not a customer of theirs; you a customer of a broker or a customer of a customer of a customer of theirs.  Again, I find it amazing (and smart) that they even acknowledge the existence of pre-owned boat owners. 

[Steve S.]

You know how when you buy a house, you have to look past the current decor and imagine how you would decorate.  Well, that's what we did with the 1988 we bought.  Hated the the black doors, but figured there were options. 

Bought a 4 x 8 sheet of beaded birch wainscoatting at Home Deport.  Used the acrylic sliders as templates and cut new sliders from the wainscoatting.  The only trick was that the birch panel was 1/4" thick and the slots for the sliders only accommodate 1/8".  Used a router and sander to remove about 1/8" of material from the backside top and bottom (carefully).  Attached the handles and installed.  One or two coats of teak oil were all the needed.  Really lightens up the interior and matches the maple wood backing in the shelves above them.  Have had no trouble with the handles, but I do like the idea of just drilling 3/4" finger pull holes instead.   Just an idea.

[Ron Hill]

Clay : As mentioned you can get a replacement at a local plastic shop.  The acrylic used will break easily, so here's two ideas:
1.  I covered mine with the same ash batton wood strips as is used on the inside of the hull.  There's a Mainsheet article that gave me that idea .  The wood strengthens the acrylic so if the outside slider hits the handle of the inside one it won't break.
2.  Use dark Lexan (polycarbonate) and that material will not crack like acrylic. 

A few thoughts.

[Claygr1]

Thanks for all the great ideas!  I think I am going to look into making replacements out of teak plywood.  Fortunately, it was the back door that broke so the front will slide forward to cover the broken area for the time being. This may be one of those projects that waits until our all too short sailing season is over.     

[Stu Jackson]

As i recall, the article in Mainsheet advised that to get them out you'll need to lift up on the top because it sags over the years.

[Jon Schneider]

As i recall, the article in Mainsheet advised that to get them out you'll need to lift up on the top because it sags over the years.

Don't we all....

[Ted Pounds]

As i recall, the article in Mainsheet advised that to get them out you'll need to lift up on the top because it sags over the years.

Don't we all....

[Ron Hill]

Clay : You may want to rethink your idea of teak sliders as the teak plywood probably will be too thick to fit into  the tracks!! 
You can face the teak on the black plastic and that will work.  Either contact cement or better yet screw the teak into the the black plastic.  A thought 

[Ted Pounds]

Actually the teak ply might work if you rabbit the top and bottom edges so they're thin enough.  You would want to start w/ thin plywood and rabbit on opposite sides so they would slide by each other.  but I think it would work.

[Mike Vaccaro]

We made ours out of 1/8" thick teak ply, which fit just fine.  Used the old black acrylic as a template.  We had to lift the center of the top shelf (used a small hydraulic jack) slightly to get the doors in, since the top shelf sagged a bit in the middle.  I built to teak supports that I left in place on the inside of the sliding doors that hold the shelf up, and now I can lift the sliding doors out to remove them.  I replaced the stock knobs with wooden handles on each end, which serve as a stop when the other door is slid open. 

Cheers,

Mike