How many ribs in a hatch?

[Sparksalot]

Rose is 5 wide, and uses 6 ribs. The outer two are doubled.

[Sam I am]

I went a simpler way on my hatch. I built the rear of the teardrop with spars and skin as if there wasn't going to be a hatch, then cut the hatch free after it was skinned. The advantages: no curved ribs to make, and only two curved jigsaw cuts to make. It's light, simple, and has zero spring back with 1/8" Baltic birch skin. The birch literally falls around the curve, and produces no forces trying to make it spring back. I added a second layer of 1/8" skin on the teardrop and the hatch for more strength. There are more photos in my Flickr album.

[cuyeda]

Rose is 5 wide, and uses 6 ribs. The outer two are doubled.

No doubt a quality build... After building it, would you still build it the same, or lighten it up with less spars/cross braces?

[TwilightLane]

Well, yes, I did insulate my hatch and finally found a pic to prove it. Seems to me if the rest of the build is insulated, then the hatch ought to be insulated also.

Hey Double-T2, are you building that thing in your living room???

[mcspin50]

Well, do not have a tear drop yet and I have not even used my bed tent camper for my truck yet. But I do like rum. Here is my favorite:



If I mix it, it is mixed with ice. Unfortunately it is hard to find and my supply has dried up

Oooh! Venezuela! I've never seen that one before. Maybe ask your local liquor establishment if they would carry it. Mine agreed to carry Mount Gay when I asked. I try my best to help rotate their stock.

BTW welcome to the forum.

[mcspin50]

I went a simpler way on my hatch. I built the rear of the teardrop with spars and skin as if there wasn't going to be a hatch, then cut the hatch free after it was skinned. The advantages: no curved ribs to make, and only two curved jigsaw cuts to make. It's light, simple, and has zero spring back with 1/8" Baltic birch skin. The birch literally falls around the curve, and produces no forces trying to make it spring back. I added a second layer of 1/8" skin on the teardrop and the hatch for more strength. There are more photos in my Flickr album.

That's a really interesting method. I just don't trust my skill with a jigsaw to make the two cuts along the side. How did you seal the hatch to prevent water leaking into the galley?

[bobhenry]

I hope you don't mind me asking this question in your thread. After seeing all the hatch builds. I didn't see any insulation addition in any of the pictures. Is the insulation not needed in the galley areas?

Insulation ???

And ruin the view !!!

[Rock]

I camped in someones yard a couple nights over Thanksgiving. Had the little electric heater running with thermostat. In the mornings the frost gave a good indication of where my heat leakage was. There was no frost at all around the vent and it's solid maple framing box - so I'm losing heat there. Also the spars were frost free as expected - just like the studs in a house wall they are thermal bridges. There was heavy frost between spars where the 1" blue board is so that R5 is working.

My hatch has zero insulation and had zero frost. But I had the heater in the under-counter storage area blowing into the cabin. So that was heating the galley enough so there was no frost. I'll have to try it with the storage compartment cover in place and the heater directly in the cabin (hangin from the ceiling?) I bet I still lose a lot of heat through the uninsulated galley.

Eric

[bobhenry]

While the galley its self is uninsulated the galley wall between the galley and the sleepy side is 7/16 osb as the shear panel and a layer of 3/4 foam and a layer if 1/4" luan. It seen almost laughable but on the shivarees we take in the 2nd week of January the temps have ranged from +1 to low 30's so we keep the foods we don't want to freeze in coolers.

In the winter I have a refrigerated galley and in the summer I have a solar oven kind of a shame it isn't backwards.

[Sam I am]

"How did you seal the hatch to prevent water leaking into the galley?"

Lil, I used foam tape (one side sticky) on the edge of the teardrop sides where I had cut the hatch free, and on the front edge. You can see the black edge of the tape in the photo. The tape gets compressed when the hatch is closed and the draw latches on the sides are engaged. I've taken it through major downpours with no leaks!
Sam

[Rlowell]

Here is what I am doing. Please look at my photo album for the way I did mine. What do you think?
Rod[/img]

[cuyeda]

[Danno]

So, everyone that is precutting curved plywood vertical ribs: Are you screwing the skin to those ribs right into the edge of plywood? I keep reading over and over on this forum that the plywood will delaminate when you screw into it. Am I getting that wrong? Does predrilling take care of that?

[Jim Edgerly]

Danno, I never gave this a thought until I saw your question. I am building my hatch right now and I have decided to go with a really heavy duty hatch. Most people in here double up their ribs on the side...I've decided to go with a triple rib on the side with a center rib of pine sandwiched between two 3/4" plywood ribs. The pine rib will give me something to screw into without splitting the plywood. I figure I will have plenty of cross braces to screw into to attach the center. The two pine ribs will add minimal extra weight and solve any plywood splitting problems. I've already purchased two 100 pound gas struts to help with the hatch lifting so I'm not really worried about an extra couple pounds. I am going with 1/4" marine grade plywood under an aluminum skin on the outside, and a lighter plywood on the inside of the hatch.

Under different circumstances I would consider just a double side rib with one pine and one plywood, but I just finished up cutting and sanding my 7 ribs last night (5 ribs with double outside ribs). I'm only going with a triple rib because it is already cut and I chose the extra strength over throwing the 2 ribs away.