Engine cover panel replacement - wood or metal? where to source?

[james2]

I'm in need a new engine cover board. Replacing due to current wood one started getting water ingress and completely deteriorated.

 

Looking for suggestions / opinions on whether to get a metal one or another wood one, and where to source.

 

Cheers!

[George and Dragon]

Best option is phenolic ply. A joiner will make one to measure. 

Where are you? We got ours from phil@straightandnarrowboats.co.uk

[Tracy D'arth]

Buffalo board with the edges epoxy sealed.

[BEngo]

If you get a steel one if is likely to be heavier than a phenolic ply one and, at some inconvenient engine speed,  will rattle unless you put rubber on the mounting frame.

 

Aluminium cheque plate is available , but is very expensive and will also rattle at some speed.

 

 

 So,  go with the buffalo.

 

N

[Flyboy]

I'd go for Hexagrip board as 1st choice and Buffalo board as 2nd choice.  Hexagrip is better quality imo.

[MrsM]

We used hexaboard and sealed the edges with several layers of black exterior paint. We also bonded rubber sheeting to the underneath. This has made a big difference in cutting down noise and vibration from the engine hole. We've noticed a slight increase in engine heat as we've made the hole a bit less leaky, but still well within tolerance. 

 

 

 

[Cancunia]

Hope it's OK to reply to an old topic but seems the best place to start. The engine cover on my boat has started to disintegrate at the corners and along one short edge, it's Hexagrip and has probably lasted for quite a few years but will shortly need to be replaced. The cover is a bit heavy & awkward to handle so I'm thinking about making the new cover in 2 pieces with a cut halfway along the length or maybe a third of the way but I'm wondering how to seal that join in order to prevent rain water getting in? An added complication is that the join will be near to where I stand when steering so may be subject to a bit more load at the join. The current size of the board in old money is 36 x 55 inches. 

 

[truckcab79]

You’re probably going to struggle to make it completely waterproof but lots of rubber seal options dependent on exactly what you end up with. The alternative is accept water gets in and design it so that it gets back out again by drain or pump.  
 

As far as cutting / supporting again depends on exactly what you design but you want to make sure one is supported and the other one is supported by the supported one, so either a full length rebate, but unlikely the material will be thick enough, or fix angle iron to the supported one and the one that’s being supported lays onto that.   You may need to weld / bolt a new support in. (Bolt-in or even slot in obviously easier for engine access)
 

All a bit guessworky without pictures of that you have. 

[matty40s]

If you are splitting the board, you really need a support bar underneath it. If you have drainage channels to the sides, then a U cross section channel bar could be cut into these so the central crack drains to the side channels.

[Tony Brooks]

Is i possible to hinge it, so when raised it rests against something at an angle that makes it self-supporting? Worked well on the large board on our cruiser stern.

[Cancunia]

Thanks for the suggestions.

I'm not at the boat for another week or so, but will try to take some pictures when I'm next there. The board is supported on a V shaped channel all the way round with a drain on each of the back corners. It might be possible to fit a removable channel across the middle. 

 

Just now, Tony Brooks said:

Is i possible to hinge it, so when raised it rests against something at an angle that makes it self-supporting? Worked well on the large board on our cruiser stern.

Yes, I was wondering about a hinge and just about to type a reply along those lines. Any pictures would be welcome.

[Tony Brooks]

1 minute ago, Cancunia said:

Thanks for the suggestions.

I'm not at the boat for another week or so, but will try to take some pictures when I'm next there. The board is supported on a V shaped channel all the way round with a drain on each of the back corners. It might be possible to fit a removable channel across the middle. 

 

Yes, I was wondering about a hinge and just about to type a reply along those lines. Any pictures would be welcome.

 

FWIW I used counter hinges where the two main arts are joined by an articulated joining piece. When opened, this allowed the board to drop slightly and rest on the side channels. This made it a little bit more difficult for it to fall down accidently.

[BEngo]

Once you have sorted support and drainage...

 

Seal the  board edges with epoxy resin.  The West system has a good reputation, there are others.  You will probably need to recoat periodically.  One to 5 years, depending on how it all vibrates/rubs together.

 

N

[Peugeot 106]

6 minutes ago, BEngo said:

Once you have sorted support and drainage...

 

Seal the  board edges with epoxy resin.  The West system has a good reputation, there are others.  You will probably need to recoat periodically.  One to 5 years, depending on how it all vibrates/rubs together.

 

N

Totally agree about epoxy it will make a tremendous difference to its lifetime. When you put it on you want the board and epoxy at least 20 degC. Warmer if you can. Then the epoxy will be thin and penetrate into the end grain. Mix a little at a time as it will go off quickly. You need two coats minimum. Three are better

[JoeC]

A point from one of the earlier posts about rattling metal boards but can also apply to wooden boards ... using hosepipe, cut along the length of pipe and slip it over the draining channel edges and rest the board on that. This should stop it from rattling.

[Nightwatch]

On 06/08/2022 at 12:37, Flyboy said:

I'd go for Hexagrip board as 1st choice and Buffalo board as 2nd choice.  Hexagrip is better quality imo.

I agree.

[David Mack]

On 06/08/2022 at 12:37, Flyboy said:

I'd go for Hexagrip board as 1st choice and Buffalo board as 2nd choice.  Hexagrip is better quality imo.

But both are used as generic terms for textured phenolic ply boards of varying quality. It can be difficult to know what you are getting.