This is another article about work I finished a while ago but never posted about. Gotta keep clearing space on my camera’s memory card…
I first started working on the salon entryway back in 2018. In March of 2020, I finished making the folding salon entry hatch. In August of 2022, I finally wrapped it up (mostly).
March 2020: doors fitted but not installed
Tape off the hinge plate-to-dash joint in preparation for caulk
Ready for caulk
Caulked and off comes the tape
That turned out real nice! Now for some hardware.
Original salon door knob just won’t clean up enough
Back from the chrome shop and locksmith
You would not believe how hard it was to find a locksmith who could cut a key for this 50-year-old Schlage lockset. Nobody with a “locksmith” sign out in front of a brick and mortar shop could do anything with it. But I got a reference from a guy who knew a guy who knew a retired hippy locksmith who hand-filed a key blank in the back of his work van for 15 minutes or so and PRESTO! I had working keys for the old lock!
Figuring out how to put the door lock back together was a challenge
I took this thing apart back in 2008, when the refit first began. Fortunately, I’d left all of the parts sitting in a plastic sandwich bag that never got in the way but was easily visible in the salon. So…the good news was that I didn’t lose any of the parts in the 14 years since I first removed them. The bad news was, it took a lot of trial and error before I finally figured out how it all went back together.
Done on the inside
Push the lock button, and the door locks. Twist the knob from the inside and the door unlocks
Done on the outside
OEM chromed bronze hook holds the door open
Next, I needed a hatch holder-upper
New Made In USA hatch holder-upper in 316 stainless will do the job
It doesn’t exactly look period-correct, but it does look nice.
That ought to do
A temporary foam strip seals to the door and holds heat inside when the hatch is closed
Nice!
You can also see in the above picture a stainless handrail I installed at the entryway to make it safer going down the steps.
Next up in our 1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: Wrapping Up the Helm Dashboard
1969chriscraftroamer46 
After the second time we had a break in on a previously owned cuddy cabin cruiser I removed the lock from the hatch. We had some people enter the cabin, probably youngsters looking for booze, but at least they didn’t destroy the hatch in the process. For us the real concern was vandals.
Hey Butch!
After my experience with rat bastard thieves on this boat, I plan on incorporating the same motion sensor and alarm array on the boat when it floats as I do now with the tent. Because of that, I suspect I’ll never have to rely on the lock to keep people out. But I just like the idea of having keys for the old lockset, and that it works as it would have back in the day.
I know…it sounds like I’ve got an obsession with preserving OEM stuff…but if I didn’t have that obsession, I sure as heck wouldn’t have spent the time and money I’m into this old Chris Craft! lol
Cheers,
Q