1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: Final Fitting, Finishing, and Assembling the Salon Entry Folding Hatch

On the Roamer, the salon entry folding hatch turned out very nicely. When last I posted, the hatch panel and solid mahogany pieces were all cut and fitted to the opening in the dashboard.

The folding salon hatch is looking good

The main hatch hinge needs something solid and flat to attach to

That might do the trick

Mark off the excess

My Eureka-Zone track saw is great for making angled cuts on plywood or solid stock

Perfect!

Install a couple of screws to hold the hinge to the mahogany

Next, I clamped the hinge to the hatch panel and installed some screws

Looks good!

Nice!

Next, I cut a slot in the leading edge of the hatch panel closest to the salon door

I’ll use an epoxied spline joint to attach the panel to the solid mahogany piece there.

Looks good!

I cut a corresponding slot in the mahogany…

…then sliced off a piece of 1/4″ plywood for the spline

Test fitting is done

Next I applied four coats of varnish to all the pieces.

It turned out pretty good!

This is just friction-fitted together, but it looks good

Another instance when I surprised myself with how well something turned out!

Next, I glued everything together with wood flour-thickened epoxy

Glued and clamped

Next day, it’s ready to be unclamped

I applied two more coats of varnish once all of the epoxy work was done.

Installing the center hinges

Chris Craft used chromed bronze screws everywhere. I get close to the same appearance with 316 stainless after a few seconds on a buffer pad.

Ta-Dahhhh!

Remember, this is what I started with:

The gap between the closed door and the hatch is 0.01″

That’s a wrap for the salon hatch for now.

Next up in our 1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: Aft Deck Mahogany Plywood Install II

9 comments on “1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: Final Fitting, Finishing, and Assembling the Salon Entry Folding Hatch

  1. Jim in NC's avatar Jim in NC says:

    I’m with Doug. Get a good lawyer, pronto. You may end up with a settlement worth several years salary, plus punitive damages.

  2. JimBob's avatar JimBob says:

    When I read stories like that, I want to find the guy, cut his manhood off, and stuff it down his throat.

    • 1969roamer46's avatar admin says:

      I appreciate the sentiment. But aren’t you assuming there’s something there to cut off? This guy’s a classic beta male. It’s unfortunate he was put into a position of power. But then, it’s been my experience that incompetent bureaucrats tend to recruit and promote people like them.
      Anyway, stay tuned for developments.
      Cheers,
      Q

  3. Doug's avatar Doug says:

    Get an employment lawyer. Sue the EPA.

    • 1969roamer46's avatar admin says:

      Thanks Doug. There’s a process. We’re following it. I fully expect we’ll end up resolving this in court.
      Stay tuned!
      Q

  4. johnu's avatar johnu says:

    What a slimy boss. Sorry to hear what you went thru!

  5. Chris in Santa Fe's avatar Chris in Santa Fe says:

    I read your blog post on the employment situation. I wish I had some help to offer, but all I can say is that friend who have gone through this with the federal government and have been tenacious in asserting their claims have been succesful. As a taxpayer who wants to get good value for his money, I can share my anger at your situation. I do know you are an incredibly detail oriented, resourceful worker who takes pride in what they can produce. Just a link to your Roamer blog would be reason enough to hire you I would think. Good luck with the job search.

    • 1969roamer46's avatar admin says:

      Thanks Chris. I really appreciate your comment.
      I’m in the slog for the long run. Stay tuned for updates.
      Cheers,
      Q

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