I used some 3/4 solid mahogany flooring, found a piece 10' long x14" wide which I used up totally. It is heavy and not very maintenance free. Pics of it on my AS-IS MSOG photosite. Your idea of kingboard sounds good. The 30% lighter is always something to shoot for. If you machine the edges so they lock together with the typical ship lap it may help with any sagging. Worst case you might have to thru bolt some battens on the insides of them someday to straighten them. The kingboard I have used on my deck so far has been just great! Got rid of a lot of teak and it withstands the sun well. I put an operating porthole in my top board which is definitely worth doing for those days when you are stuck below in the rain and need some cross ventilation. Also lets you take a quick peek into the cockpit while below "behind closed doors". If you do go the porthole route be sure what you order it small enough to fit totally on one hatch board. Some of them give the dimension of only the port and do not include the mounting flange which needs another inch all around to bolt through. Also be sure the porthole comes with a screen. Some don't and it is very difficult to make your own.(Personal experience). Fair winds, Tom B On Thu, Aug 3, 2017 at 5:22 PM, John Schinnerer <john@eco-living.net> wrote:
Hi all,
I'm contemplating what to use for new companionway boards on my M17. It came with some probably previous-owner-made plywood ones that are warped enough across their width that they don't line up well any more, especially the joint between the middle and top one (3 boards on mine).
What has anyone used for companionway boards?
Looking for experiences anyone has had with various options.
I'm pondering something like Starboard. Anyone had problems with sagging/warping in hot weather? Or thermal expansion/contraction?
I am also wondering if the lighter weight Starboard XL would work - anyone used that for anything? Mostly it just says it's 30% lighter, and has "less structural strength." But not clear exactly what that means...for this kind of application.
Looking for a reasonable combination of price vs. durability. And low maintenance is desirable.
Thus the questions about plastic board products. Oiled teak would look gorgeous but I think it would cost a fortune.
thanks, John S.
-- John Schinnerer - M.A., Whole Systems Design -------------------------------------------- - Eco-Living - Whole Systems Design Services People - Place - Learning - Integration john@eco-living.net - 510.982.1334 http://eco-living.net http://sociocracyconsulting.com