I bought this 23.5 a few years ago and have spent time here and there working on her. I started searching for teak to replace the hatch boards but had trouble finding something suitable.

The suspect hatch boards

I was watching ShipShape TV one day, and they were building an seawater icemaker for a sport fishing boat. They used this cool looking stuff called Seaboard to fabricate some of the parts of the ice bin.

The miracle hatch board material!

I bought this material from Tap Plastics. They are located at www.tapplastics.com. It is solid extruded, UV stable, and works like plywood.

About Seaboard

I took some measurements from the old hatch boards as well as the hatch. I marked a center line in the Seaboard, and measured out from there to get the right angle, and give me a few inches at the top and bottom to get it fitted properly. I hand trimmed it with a table saw and a 40 tooth finish blade. I then ripped the angles to size with a rip fence to get them completly square. I eyeballed the fit, and marked where the bottom cut would be and cut it with a 25 degree bevel. I test fit it, cut another 5/8 off the bottom, and it fit perfectly! I then marked the top, and cut it with a 15 degree angle to have it fit tight, and still drain out if needed. I beveled the rest of the edges with a 1/4 round and I am done!

Getting ready to cut

Before picture

After Picture