V-berth hatch rain cover

[mregan]

Does anyone have a cover they put over the v-berth hatch when it's raining.  I've seen some that look like a flat piece of sunbrella with 4 grommets in the corner.  The four corners are bungee corded to spots on the rails to stretch it out and the spare halyard connects to the center of it to pull it up a bit.  Anyone make one and have dimensions?

When it rains out, the water bouncing off the deck comes right in the v-berth.  Would like to keep it open to keep air flowing.

[KWKloeber]

Here's what I had made for my '30, but of course scaleable to the 34.

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I had it first made in, I think St Catherines Ont, with my sail cover (wasn't very happy with either one) so I had it enlarged by a guy who does some industrial canvas work for me.  

I re-sized it as large as would possibly fit between the lifelines up front ((you can see the sewn on addition.) I might suggest making it slightly trapezoidal)  -- and also so that I can use it both on the Vee, and can back it up against the mast and open my head hatch and over-the-hanging-locker hatch on the 30.  It needs to be sewn with a peak (tent,) not one large flat pc of fabric.,   There's a webbing loop at the peak for my "halyard."

For the Vee only- I hook the bungees forward of the mast onto my lifelines .  
When covering all three hatches, I pass the aft bungees behind my shrouds to hold the awning aft, then hook them on the lifelines.  

I crimped brass S hooks onto the lifelines and have 1/4" plastic bungee snap hooks on the bungees that hook to the S hooks.  The hooks degrade in UV and so I replace them every 4-5 years.  You could use brass or stainless S hooks that would last forever.

I run a 1/4" polypropylene cord (S hooks on each end) from the mast to my furler -- a lot easier (JTSO) than messing w/ a halyard to hold it up.  I have a small ring on the mast at the lower block for my lower pole ring adjuster where I can hook it, and at the furler end, I take a double wrap around (as necessary for how taut I want my makeshift "halyard" and hook it back on a pre-tied loop on the cord.


Ken

[sailaway]

I have one with 6 grommets it is about 2ft x6ft x5ft. It keeps out rain and a lot of sun. It covers most of the fore deck. My local canvas guy made it for me. 2ft in the front 6ft long 5ft in the back measure your fore deck . Charlie

[tommyt]

Bought one at the Chicago sailboat show for about $30. Made of nylon with stays. Works great. It was made by Sails East sailmakers. Folds very flat.

[mregan]

Thanks
Just what I was looking for.

[Fred Koehlmann]

Genco Marine, in Toronto, sells these off the shelf in three different sizes in a variety of Sunbrella fabric colours. They call them "Hatch Awnings". We bought two (medium and large) for our salon and forward top hatches. The keep the sun off of the plexi, allow us to have the hatch open during the rain (in the lower locked position when we're not on the boat), and allows the admiral to sleep in without the sun waking her up too early.  The only catch is that I don't get to see the stars at night. 

[mregan]

Thanks for the information.  I'm going to see if anyone is selling them at the Newport RI boat show this weekend.  If not I'll contact Genco.

[Ken Juul]

I made mine out of old sail cloth.  It is a triangle rather than a square.  Front is tied around the furled head sail, back has three attachments, corners on the forward shrouds, rear center is attached at the mast to give the tent a peak for drainage.  I think it allows better access around the deck than having things tied to the life lines.