posted 11-11-2001 10:11 PM ET (US)        

I am now more humble than I was when I did that. Measuring a hole with rounded corners and trying to make a "plug" to fit is not at all as easy as I thought it would be. In fact, it is beyond my patternmaking skills.

Could someone who has one please measure it for me and supply the dimensions, including the radii of the 2 obtuse angles??

I would be very grateful.

posted 11-11-2001 11:00 PM ET (US)            

You needn't make this more difficult than it need be. You can do this and do it easily.

I build things for a living and I can assure you you will have a greater chance of success and a greater degree of accuracy if you do not get bogged down in a written description with dimensions and angles and such. By all means make a full sized pattern. Here is but one way to do it:

I suggest you start with a piece of cardboard. A large piece of corrugated cardboard from a large box would be best, one that does not have any folds in it, but a single fold won't hurt either.

We are dealing with a simple trapezoid here, the altitude of which can be measured easily enough with a tape measure (i.e. the front to rear dimension) You may precut the cardboard to this width.

Take the cardboard out to the boat and overlay it on the locker. Use masking tape to hold it in place if you want. The take a straight edge, be it a 4' level, a 2x4 or some other piece of straight lumber, a yard stick, whatever, and lay this on top of the cardboard so that one of its edges aligns with the edge of the locker minus the distance you want for the reveal (gap) around the edge. Take a pen or pencil and scribe (trace) the straightedge in the cardboard. Repeat on the other side.

Now remove the cardboard and cut along the sides. Either use a sharp utility knife (box cutter) and straight edge, or some tough scissors or good tin snips to make the cut.

Now that you have the basic shape, try placing the cardboard on the locker and see how it fits. If it needs trimming then do so.

For the corners, you can find some object laying around your house or garage that has the right diameter and nests into the corner of the locker and then just use that to trace the corner. Or you can just use scissors to "whittle" it down until it's just right.

For the corners at the rear, you can decide what radius you want, but it's something like 3/4" if I recall correctly.

Once you have the cardboard template perfectly fit you may either send it to the woodworker or use it to trace a paper template which will be easier to mail to them.

posted 11-12-2001 12:00 AM ET (US)            

Part of the problem is that the cover, unlike the Montauk cover, is not a trapezoid. It is six-sided, an irregular hexagon, two right angles and four obtuse angles, a trapezoid on a rectangle. Each obtuse angle is radiused, making linear measurement nearly impossible except, as you point out, the extreme length and width.

I have run out of corrugated paperboard after several tries that produced inconsistent edge clearance due to mm errors in the width of the small end, the height of the rectangle, or both.

If I knew of a correct vintage Outrage within 50 miles I would go to it, lay the cover on a piece of brown wrapping paper and trace it.

If I am going to spend hundreds of bux to have this made, it HAS to fit correctly.

Thanks for your advice, anyway, Tom. I appreciate your trouble. I may go buy some more corrugated paperboard and try another time before I give up and pay BW twice as much to make me a glass one.

posted 11-12-2001 12:53 AM ET (US)            

You're right, I've forgotten that it is six sided! So really, you can think of it as a rectangle with two corners lopped off. Start with the correct size rectangle and then overlay and scribe the angled cuts.

posted 11-12-2001 08:08 AM ET (US)            

Excellent advice on dealing with frustration. I have to remind myself that I have a good Montauk in commission and the world will not end if the Outrage takes all winter.

posted 11-14-2001 02:56 PM ET (US)            

Now I will get a unique cover for my front locker. . . but still Whaler style.

Thanks for your advice and encouragement.

posted 11-15-2001 12:42 PM ET (US)            

lhg, yes, I'm sure the woodworker knows just how to build a Montauk hatch and can apply the same detailing to JB's hatch.