laminated foam panel
 

Hi, Joel -
I am looking to replace the interior deck hatches on my 42' chris craft
existing hatches are 3/4" plywood w/ 2" x3" framing / 1/4" ply finish on bottom - they are very heavy to move about
the clear span is 30" across the supports
can you recommend a laminated panel for use? / edge finish?
I am mainly interested in a weight savings
In the future I am also planning on re-decking the cockpit.
I plan on incorporating a slight crown across the 10' wide deck
Is that possible with laminated panels? -maybe (2) layers of 1/2"?
Any update on the smaller finished hatches?
thank you for your time
Doug

I would use honeycomb core with thin plywood skins. Very light and easy to make. To match a crown is a little more difficult but not terribly. Edge finish can be either epoxy putty sanded flush or a wood insert. Wood insert would be easier on a flat panel. What is the thickness where the hatch sits on edge? A drawing or picture would be a big help. We have the honeycomb in grid scored which can be shipped UPS, the plywood you can get locally. Epoxy and fillers for glue too.

I'm still a little fuzzy on exactly what your after, so a picture would really help

And yes, we have progress on the smaller hatches :) The molds for a smaller rectangle and a square hatch are being finished now, I expect to get one of each in the next week or so.:D