I could use a old companion way hatch cover. If you have one E-mail me I will pay for frieght.
idealapts@hotmail

Wayne- You were right on with replacing the plastic extrusions with aluminum. They were simple to fab up, look great, cost of all $14 (with leftover), and I'm sure will last much longer!

Contact Allis Racing at 925-210-0596 for information. They claim 16 man-hours, but the guy who did it for me says that is low especially for the first time. It is WELL worth doing!

WEASEL! J24 # 429

Ahh, here's the area I'm looking for. I am thinking about embarking in the Companion Way replacement! Does anybody have any directions or does all that info come with the kit? I know the upgrade is well worth it! I have a lot of experience with fiberglass and have the tools, I'm just a little scared to get the Saw'zall out and start removing w/o some guidence.

How many labor hours can I expect?
Where can I go for the upgrade?

should I do this?????

I have until April till the ice goes out up here in Minnesnowta, I have indoor storage, I have a ton of beer....

Is this as bad as it looks?

Any info would be super cool

Mailto:seanh@digitalriver.com

Oh boy... what a job.
I've been involved in three aft hatch mods for people. One was an Allis conversio kit. It was simple, relatively inexpensive, and let in tons of water. The next on was based on side rails made from shaped p.t. 2x4 encased in glass in and epoxy, using TPI built seahood, slider, and slider channels. Better than the Allis, but mcuh more work and the wood worries me with regard to future structure. The last one also used factory seahood and slider board, but the slider channels were from a J40, which are G-shaped instead of C-shaped, so they have built in drainage lanes. We built the side rails from cored f/g laminate in epoxy, finished off in gelcoat. You absolutely cannot tell that the boat ever had an old style hatch. This job cost about 2 grand... not everyones cup of tea but man does it look good.

I'm resigned to keeping the old style hatch, as I'd rather spend the 2 Gs on sails. After the original phenolic slider strips broke, we've replaced them with a white high density plastic. Hatch slides real nice, but the plastic degrades from UV after a couple three years. Anyone got an alternative material for the slider strips, or a source for the phenolic?? Thanks

I had the Allis kit installed ($950 for the kit + $450 for someone to install it). I think you could install it yourself with the right tools and enough time. It does leak a little, but not much. It is definitely worth the $$ if you intend to keep the boat for a while. It makes tacking easier by increasing clearance below the boom and also allows you to mount hardware (cunningham, pole lift, foreguy) on the seahood. It was my understanding that the Allis kit was the only "legal" retrofit, so I did not explore any of the other options mentioned above.

To Ed Gardner

Ed you can easily replace the plastic extrusion with an aluminum one that will never degrade or break. The exact same dimensions are available. It' s a 3/4" channel with 1/8" thickness. Works great, lasts forever.

J.H.U.

Was wondering what the shape of the "g" shaped slider you got from TPI was as it sounds like it might be a grear replacement for the al. pieces we provide but have come to find are very hard to get.
Let me know by e-mail Allis97@pacbell.net