King Starboard

Peter · Post by **Peter** » Thu Feb 23, 2006 12:55 am

I have to replace my three cockpit hatch covers. Would 1/2" Starboard be good for the job? I've never had any experience with it ... it might not even be available locally. The present ones are old plywood and look like h*ll. I don't want varnished wood, just something practical and durable.
Any thoughts out there?
Thanks!

Curmudgeon · Post by **Curmudgeon** » Thu Feb 23, 2006 3:31 am

Starboard seems to be a material that would perhaps suffer from UV exposure, and in turn become brittle. How about using a clear lexan - the extra light it allows in is amazing. If you want more privacy just sand the surface with an appropriate grit sandpaper.

dkall · Post by **dkall** » Thu Feb 23, 2006 8:53 am

When I was looking at this product; memory seves me correct it is UV stabalized; however, it can't be used to sustain weight in any suported application. I spoke to the Starboard people and they said it can be used as backing plates or as windlass supports as it is hard and not really compressable.

Post by **Tim** » Thu Feb 23, 2006 9:54 am

Starboard (aka Very High Molecular Weight Polyethylene--or VHMW) is a nice product, but it's quite slick and slippery, in addition to not being intended as a true weight-bearing surface. I'd hate to step on it dry, much less wet. I don't think it's the best choice for this reason, even if you could support it adequately.

Note that you can buy VHMW from many industrial sources for much less than the name brand Starboard--50% of the cost or less. Perhaps there's something slightly different about the Starboard that I am unaware of, but they seem like the same product to me. I bought VHMW from McMaster-Carr for my cockpit table.

I'd have the same slickness concerns with Lexan. Sanding would help, but it's not a good surface underfoot regardless. Cockpit seats are one of those places where you step frequently, and need sure footing.

You can always go with painted wood/plywood, if you don't want the varnish. Or you could start playing around with some composite panels if you wanted to get fancy.

windrose · Post by **windrose** » Thu Feb 23, 2006 11:24 am

Why not glass some plywood, add some trim and some Interdeck nonskid.

Peter · Post by **Peter** » Thu Feb 23, 2006 3:20 pm

Thanks for the feeback, all.
The hatch covers are stepped on a lot, so traction is very important.
Starboard does make a NONSLIP product, but the lack of strength in the horizontal plane has me concerned.
I think 1/2" plywood covered in a layer of fibreglass cloth/epoxy and coated with non-skid (thanks, 'Windrose' !) sounds like the right stuff.

Post by **Tim** » Thu Feb 23, 2006 3:52 pm

Correction
I should have said that Starboard is a type of Ultra High Molecular Weight (UHMW) polyethylene, not VHMW. Sorry for the error!