Article by Connie McBride
There are several options for keeping flying pests out of your boat. When we purchased our AS-29 she had screen material with Velcro around the edges that attached to the Velcro on the inside of the companionway. For us, this was not an acceptable option. Every time we went in or out of the companionway we had to unfasten the screen. And if when we went outside there was no one left inside to reattach the Velcro, we had no screen.
While the boat was on the hard for other repairs, my husband, Dave, and I had some time to design and build a better screen. Since Dave’s woodworking tools were all out anyway, we took some measurements, sketched a plan, and gathered materials. When measuring the companionway, we were careful to measure to inside the board slots, since this was the outside dimension of the screen frame. We noted the thickness of these slots, as well. We then measured the opening itself. With all these measurements recorded on our sketch, we went to the workbench.
We scrounged some teak that was thick enough for Dave to join with a half-lap. After marking the ends of each board, he used a Japanese pull saw to cut the half-lap. Before assembling the four pieces, he cut a groove in the inside of each piece using a few passes on a table saw. This groove was just a bit smaller than the diameter of the line that was to secure the screen material to the frame. He also used two passes (one in either direction) on a table saw on the outside of three pieces to form the narrower strip that would fit in the board slots in the companionway.
We assembled the teak strips with Gorilla Glue. Once the glue had cured, we cut screen material a good bit larger than the hole it was to cover. (It is easier to trim the edges later than it is to wrestle with a piece that is too small.) We used small diameter old line that we had onboard, which we also cut too long. Keeping the screen aligned, we pushed the line into the slot with the screen between the frame and the line. We pulled the screen taut for aesthetics. When we were pleased with the screens position in the frame, we trimmed the excess line and the edges of the screen material.
In a few hours, using mostly recycled materials, we built an attractive, functional barrier between us and flying critters. We can step over it to get in and out, so the bugs can only gain access during the few seconds the companionway slider is open. In the small creeks where we take our sharpie, a convenient, easy to use screen is a must. •SCA•
Connie McBride and her husband Dave raised three sons on their 34’ Creekmore while sailing the Caribbean. She has written about their lifestyle in two books: Simply Sailing and My Boat Lists. She recently released a children’s book: Boat Monkeys. All three are available through Amazon.
First appeared in issue #90