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Anyone have good ideas, drawings, plans for making screens (that will even keep out no seeums) for the forward hatch and for the companionway when fully open (top as well) for an ? I have some ideas but thought I would ask the board before I try out my ideas. We are in our first heat wave this week and the admiral and I want to do an overnighter in a week or two.

I've been using the same set of Bugbuster weighted screens ( http://www.sogeman.com/sogeman-products.html ) for 10 years on an Offshore 33, O'Day 22, and my current Mac 25. They keep out everything and don't require messing around with Velcro and glue. The hatch screen was a tad too small for the O'Day forward hatch (go figure, the smallest boat had the biggest hatch), so the Admiral custom made me one by sewing nylon screen to a felt pocket weighted with chain. That worked just as well as the store-bought screen and cost almost nothing in material.

Make one out of flexible screen material and Velcro around the opening.

Ours are just velcro glued to the edges of the hatches and another lot of velcro sewed to the netting been working for 6 years now and over 2 years living aboard with most nights needing them closed, never would have expected them to last this long but the have been re glued in places a couple of times.
They work great no bitey sandflies.

bug busters rule on Le Zephyr!

We use the BugBusters as well. Works very nicely and comes in a handy storage box. Nice thing is it's not bespoke, so if you want to use it on another boat it's just pick-up-and-go.

i saw the bugbusters last year at Annapolis sailboat show. they look great but pricey. was planning on the do it yourself screen and velcro route. admiral and i went to India last year and when we went we bought mosquito bed netting that is very fine. was planning on cutting it up and using it, making a canvas frame and sewing mesh into canvas as well as the velcro for both hatch and companionway.

just wondered if there was something else that people use on macs. thanks for the help.

I have screens, too, for both the hatch and the companionway, but the velcro seems to be getting old and doesn't stay in place as it should. It was originally glued around the frames. I wouldn't mind replacing it. What is the best way to unglue it? Acetone?

March wrote:It was originally glued around the frames. I wouldn't mind replacing it. What is the best way to unglue it? Acetone?

I have the same problem, and was waiting for the right time to distract a little with that question. I have old Velcro and the gunk it leaves behind all over the interior where the PO's had curtains mounted. I think acetone is rough on gelcoat, and didn't want to try it.

Plastic screen from Lowes or Home Depot, decrative chain with plastic or rubber coating, very inexpensive, open a link and rebend chain to make any length you need. Sew an inch and half to two inch pocket around border of screen,make it long enough to cover from mast to floor of cocpit, two gromets one at each corner close to mast with a short piece of cord to tie to stansion on each side.This covers the opening, you can slide hatchway open or closed and just flip out of way to go in or out.I leave mine in place when not onboard to keep mub daubers out . For V-berth hatch just make a big sack out of screen with pocket for chain.when you open v-berth hatch just drop sack over lid. The chain holds it in place. When not in use it all folds up and goes in bildge for storage. No messy velcro glue to fool with

March wrote: What is the best way to unglue it? Acetone?

Depends on the glue! Most rubber-based glues (like contact cement) can be softened and solved with M.E.K. (which, BTW, is getting hard as heck to find anymore - grrr).

Try the glue at Sailbrite. We had noseam screens we made for front hatch and companion way with velcro non sticky and applied 4200 and worked well for a few years and found Sailbrite glue that works better.
We changed to reg. mesh screen and spray the screen with repelant as the noseam screen restricts to much air.
Nothing goes thru it, and good air flow.
Dave

kmclemore wrote:Depends on the glue! Most rubber-based glues (like contact cement) can be softened and solved with M.E.K. (which, BTW, is getting hard as heck to find anymore - grrr).

Mosquito repellent doesn't actually repel them, it just masks your scent so they can't find you. Doesn't seem to me that would be effective on a screen. I'll be sticking with the no-see-um netting. Still on the 'to-do' list though as other projects have taken priority.

I think acetone is rough on gelcoat, and didn't want to try it.

Shouldn't be as we used to use it for cleaning moulds but beware with the fumes especially if you are driving, a very cheap drug as an indusrial chemist once told me.
I have no knowledge of the other solutions here but unless we have an absolute tight fit it can be very painful to the point of life threatening, our sandflies are painful in small doses but any numbers especially if allergic will put you in hospital very quickly, even the mossies carry plenty of disease but at least they only sting for a short period, sandflies can take months to subside.
We spend a fair bit of time on the coast and at the mouth of rivers with plenty of mangroves and mud so any aussies heading north make sure you have screens and that they are serviceable, no amount of sprays will stop the little buggers.

I just received one of these for the hatch. Love the design

http://www.waterlinedesign.se/en/mosqui ... tches.html