reviews on Zarcor companway doors

[Jim Hardesty]

A couple of years ago I added air conditioning to Shamrock.  An unexpected inconvenience has been the companway boards.  To keep the cool air in, placing and removing the hatch boards at every pass through is a pita.  So, I'm thinking of companway doors by Zarcor.
http://www.zarcor.com/products/c-doors/index.php
I see a number of MKll owners have done this.  I'm asking them how they like the doors.  Would you do it again?  What would you do different?
Jim

[KWKloeber]

Jim,

See also Cruising Concept's teak, acrylic and Starboard doors with a few different (some more pleasing than others!) trim options

http://www.catalinaonly.com/companionway-doors/teak-doors/
http://www.catalinaonly.com/companionway-doors/starboard-doors/
http://www.catalinaonly.com/companionway-doors/starboard-doors-2/

Ken K

[Clay Greene]

A friend had them on his Mark II boat.  He had a lot of difficulty with installing the lock that required some secondary engineering by Zarcor.  Not sure of the specifics but I would discuss it with them.  The doors are nice, though - it is cool how you can switch between plastic windows and screens.

We had the Cruising Concept teak doors on our Mark I boat.  They were pretty to look at but they needed a lot of work each year to refinish.   We also did not have hooks installed to keep them open while sailing so they would flop closed when you tacked.  We eventually took them off whenever we sailed, which was kind of a pain. 

On our C387, we have a piece of canvas that snaps in place at the top of the companionway.  There is a wooden batten in a sleeve sewn in the bottom that gives it some weight.  We have a second piece that has a screen in the middle if we want some air flow.  It is super easy to throw it over the top of the companionway hatch when going in or out.  I thought we would eventually invest in the Cruising Concept teak doors but so far we are happy with the simple solution.  But we have natural air conditioning living in Wisconsin (turned on high at the moment) so we're more concerned about keeping flies out than making it air-tight.

[sail4dale]

I have had Teak doors on True Luff ever since I bought her in 2002.  Really love them ... easy to remove and once you get the hang of it ... no problem rehanging them. 

Like it cruising but always remove them while sailing or anchored during the day.  Most of the time leave them off during the nights unless it is getting cool.  Teak takes a little maintaining but it is worth itl

[Andrew Harvey]

I made my own doors out of teak for a lot less than $950.00. Same idea, they just slide into the hatch board track. When not needed they fold in half and we lay it down in the v berth or wherever. The screen is fixed with removable plexiglass inserts.
I used the hatch boards as a pattern.

Whether you buy or make your own, they are one of the best comfort upgrades you can make.

Andrew

[Dave Spencer]

Andrew,
I'd love to see some pictures of your companionway doors.

[Ken Juul]

Another alternative, not as pretty as the teak doors.  I use a single piece of 1/8" plexiglass to keep the A/C and Heat in the boat.  Works great and lets in plenty of light.  I also have a canvas cover than can be pulled down over the plexi if the sun is at the wrong angle and shining in the cabin or for privacy at the dock. Easy to use, easy to store, easy to replace when it gets too scratched.  I'm on my second in 14 seasons.  It is not lockable, when we leave the boat, the teak slats go back in.

[Andrew Harvey]

Dave,

My boat, likely like your's is kind of buried at the moment.

Next time I am up and fell motived to climb on board, I will take some photos

Winter sucks

Andrew

[Dave Spencer]

Thanks Andrew.  Like you, my C34 is sitting on a chilly parking lot right now.  I'm exposed to 60nm of fetch when the wind blows from the NE. Fortunately, most of the strong wind this year has been from the west.
I certainly don't expect you to clamber around your boat in the winter - I thought you may have taken some pics when you built your doors.  I'll look forward to seeing your project when the weather improves.

[kwaltersmi]

The PO had our companionway doors custom made. The frame slides in just like the dropboards and the doors open on simple cabinet hinges. Much easier to open/close than dropboards and more attractive (IMO).

The whole door assembly lifts out quickly and easily if we want to use the boards during bad weather or storage.

[Bill Asbury]

The Admiral cut a piece of clear plexiglass to fit the companionway and it works great!

[Rick Allen]

My Prior Boat, a wonderful little Watkins 27 had really a nice set of doors that were easy to remove while underway.  It's on my list of projects for my C34!

[lazybone]

The PO had our companionway doors custom made. The frame slides in just like the dropboards and the doors open on simple cabinet hinges. Much easier to open/close than dropboards and more attractive (IMO).

The whole door assembly lifts out quickly and easily if we want to use the boards during bad weather or storage.

Cathedral Doors.

Awesome stuff.

[Fred Koehlmann]

Kevin, I have to agree with Lazybones, those are lovely doors.Companionway Doors as Art! I could see us having one with  a dolphin sculpted onto each side. 

I have a question about the supporting structure. You mention that the frame just slides into the existing opening, which sounds great because you not drilling or cutting into the existing bulkhead or companionway. So is the frame like a U-shaping, so that you're able to step over the frame?  I'm just wondering how strong the two bottom corners are against being pulled apart?

Thanks, Fred.

[Noah]

I also like the carvings. Are the hinges "marine grade"?  They don't look like it in the photos.