jrprintmax

Thank you, Ditchcrawler - and everybody who has contributed to help me on this problem - much appreciated, John

It is hard to see in the photo, but at the bottom of the hatch opening the wood slopes outwards and has good contact with the cabin metal side. If this is a good hardwood and well painted, then I didn't see any need for any more sealing at this point. The slope allows any water to drain overboard. I didn't place a sealing strip on this side as I didn't want to potentially interfere with drainage. It could be possible for water to get between the wood and steel and I check for this fairly regularly by looking for rust and softening of the wood, but no evidence yet. Yours may be different. Yes, Jen, there is a sizeable gap all the way along the bottom of the frame between the steel wall and the wood frame - I do not know if there is a wood lath missing or if the internal skin has just shrunk away - I need to seal that bottom frame (with a slight slope outwards, like you said, to guide the water out down the side of the boat. Any ideas? Perhaps something like a car body filler, sanded and then painted? Or, if there is enough leeway between the bottom of the doors and the frame, a thin lath of hardwood? But the rubber strips that you have put in are brilliant for the sides and the top. Thank you so much for your pictures and comments. John.

Ah, Jen - very much the same (now that I have seen your piccies). I have just remembered that I have a set of pictures from when the boat was born as single sheets of flat steel (60 feet long in 2003) - there may something there - I'll check and post. On reflection there is no overlap on the hinge sides, just across the doors (in the middle) - so your idea may well be good. Thanks. But there is still gaps at the bottom of the door frames and this, I believe needs sealing with something (?).

To Slim Frank There is overlap all round and across the two doors and there is a drip rail above the two doors but somehow rain is still getting in - worse on the prevailing weather side but quite bad on both

Thank you, WotEver - I'll post some piccies as soon as I return to me boat!!

Thanks for the reply, Jen. I have no piccies at the moment (and the boat is 250 miles away - so later). The doors are on the side flush with the sides (no windows). I feel that there is no room for a rubber seal but I'll have to check this out. The rain is entering at the bottom of the two doors between the steel body and the internal wood skin (the floor is completely rotten and needs replacing!!). Perhaps I need to seal the bottom of the door frame with a sort of mastic trowelled into a sealing position?

Hello, all - I have a traditional style narrow boat with portholes - also side double door hatch - through which, over the last few years I am getting rain water in - is there available an external cover arrangement to weatherproof these saloon style doors, please? Where to buy? or can I make something suitable? Many thanks in anticipation, John