Some races require a safety rating, which, for Sandpiper in inshore races, is Category 5 (Cat 5). Cat 5 requires some things that I am not likely to use much, which include a "companionway hatch securing arrangement operable from above and below" and a means to retain and secure the washboards (see Section 3.07.4 of the Cat 5 Audit Form).
One suggestion I saw on line involved drilling one large hole in the nice polycarbonate washboard to accept a rotating arm, and two small ones for a saddle for a lanyard that was tied to another saddle screwed into the inside of the cabin. There seemed to be a lot of drilling and cutting for something that, in all honesty, would allow me to tick some boxes on a form.
What would Leo do? Leo would probably make a template before cutting all those holes. So, I bought a piece of plywood and started to shape it to fit into the companionway slots. The washboards were made of 10mm, and the nearest thickness I could get was 9mm plywood (which measures nearer 9.5mm). As I was cutting the plywood to shape, I had a brainwave. Instead of using the plywood as a mock-up to find out where to cut the holes, why not simply make a new washboard from the plywood and leave the shiny polycarbonate washboard in tact. If I got it wrong, I could simply replace the new plywood wash board with another plywood washboard.
Getting the new plywood washboard to fit snugly was a slow process of climbing on and off the boat and shaving bits off here and there. I found that my hand-plane with a sharp blade made short work of trimming the edges. One the overall shape was fitted, I cut out the washboard lock using a 38mm core-hole drill to make the inner, circular biscuit, onto which I screwed the two "arms" of the L-shaped lock with a square of 50mm x 1mm rubber to provide some friction. (I got a roll of 50mm x 1mm wide rubber strip some time ago and have since lost count about how many uses I am getting from it). One mistake I made was to cut the biscuit from the washboard, which left a 1mm gap for the core-holer. I should have cut the biscuit from a separate piece and drilled a smaller hole in the washboard to get a snug fit. It means that there is some wiggle in the lock, but the rubber keeps it in place (whilst also smearing black on the plywood finish).
I finished it off with an elastic lanyard made from 6mm shock cord. I now have a Cat 5 compliant system for securing the hatch and locking the washboards.
Its ugly as sin. But, as a friend of mine often comments, if its stupid and it works, its not stupid.
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| Washboard lock before assembly |
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| Washboard lock in the locked position |
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| Washboard lock in the locked position again, but with the hatch slid back to show the inside locking arm |
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| Washboard lock in the unlocked position |
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| Washboard lock and securing lanyard from inside |
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