> I've been wondering why no one seems to have done hatches and bulkheads on
> a skin-on-frame boat. Wouldn't it be possible to run a couple of stringers
> between 2 of the stations and create a flat area for mounting VCP or
> home-built wood hatches on? The hole in the skin around the hatch could
> could be stapled to this flat area and a decorative bezel could be put
> over it to hide the raw edge. Two of the stations could be made solid to
> serve as bulkheads.

> Or do skin-on-frame boats have an inherent leaking problem at the seams
> that would make bulkheads a not-so-good idea?

> Dean

I have done hatches in skin on frame boats by putting a structural ring in the frame which the skin laps to the inside of the ring, then an insert consisting of a tube made of wood with a thickened top edge, is installed. I then make my own cover like a flat sprayskirt. How to install a VCP I know not. People appear to have some difficulty with waterproof bulkheads in S&G's and strippers I don't fancy your chances with a skin on frame. If the stations went out to the skin line they would be very visible and prone to skin damage when the hull slides by submerged thingies.

Bram