Semi trad rear access doors loose

[NBDensie]

Our semi-trad rear access doors were taken off to be repainted. They now swing open and won’t stay closed. Should there be something on the hinge pegs to stiffen the hinge? Thanks.

[blackrose]

Don't you have some brass hooks on each side to keep them open?

 

If the doors just lift off the hinges you could try cutting small pieces from a plastic bag and putting them over the male part of the hinges to stiffen them up. Just cut the pieces of plastic oversize at first in case it doesn't work and you need to remove them. Otherwise they could just get stuck in the female side of the hinges.

[NBDensie]

Thanks for the reply. Yes we can keep the doors hooked open. We prefer to keep them closed at night or when not on the boat. But any slight movement of the boat will open them. I was thinking that some standard sleeve on the male hinge fitting could have been lost when the doors were removed for repainting.

[blackrose]

22 minutes ago, NBDensie said:

Thanks for the reply. Yes we can keep the doors hooked open. We prefer to keep them closed at night or when not on the boat. But any slight movement of the boat will open them. I was thinking that some standard sleeve on the male hinge fitting could have been lost when the doors were removed for repainting.

 

I see. In that case don't you have a bolt to keep them closed?

 

If you're missing some sleeves and they're not available you could try putting some heat shrink over the male part of the hinges and then shrinking it with a hot air gun. You might need a couple of layers. Or just find some plastic tube of the right diameter.

Edited September 5 by blackrose

[truckcab79]

Do you actually know something is missing?   Hinges don’t generally have plastic sleeves for obvious wear reasons. If the male part is really loose in the female part a nylon sleeve could have been there I suppose.  Anything else wouldn’t last five minutes.

 

Could also have been a nylon washer between the two.  
 

Possible that paint has been removed which is now allowing them to move as freely as intended.  Pictures would help. 
 

You could just add a ball catch / magnetic catch to hold it closed without being locked.  

Edited September 5 by truckcab79

[Jen-in-Wellies]

It sounds like you are making an unwarranted assumption on how the doors were originally designed. Most boat builders are not that sophisticated. Stern door hinges are usually about as simple as hinges can get. Any stiffness is down to the build up of rust, dirt and congealed oil over time. Removing them and cleaning off all the old muck for the paint job has just returned them to closer to their original free swinging state. What others have said, ball, or magnetic catches, hooks, latches will hold them in either the open, or closed position. Alternatively, don't oil the hinges and in a few years they will be as stiff as they were before.