Drying out

[Ancient Geek]

Get a Indian/Japanese hole saw that cuts on the pull not the push, I think you can also get jig saw blades that do this, and tape over the top surface to prevent splitting, at least thats what we've always done.

[bert]

I may be missing something here,but I just used a 4 inch hole saw that fitted on to a drill,because I wasn`t drilling though a thick layer of wood I had no problems I just drilled through slowly with a small amount of pressure on the drill & that was that No splinters OR other damage.

I just brought the cheapest set I could find out of the local hardware shop & drilled a small hole first to check that wheren`t any supports where I needed the hatch & then drilled the hole for the hatch.

[Rupert]

For access it is often a 6 inch hatch that is needed, though Bert. Having said that, I've never tried a hole saw for a smaller one either. I'd not even realized that they went as big as that, but then I've lived a sheltered life...

[Nessa]

I'm actually going to be lucky if a four inch hatch will fit inthe front bulkhead, the space is so limited. Not even a three inch hatch would fit in the back, and I really don't want to put a hatch into a top deck.

I will measure up so you can get an idea of just how shallow the boat is!

[ACB]

Just occasionally a lifetime with wooden cruising yachts can be helpful: Ian Nicholson's Boat Data Book states (and I have found this to be right in practice) that a four inch diameter hole is about the smallest that will allow natural ventilation. Also much better for getting one's paw through, clutching sponge...

[Rupert]

Hatches in the top deck can be pretty useful, especially if you have a mars bar habit, as you can put a bag inside!

[Michael Brigg]

GarryR said:-

What, if I may ask is parallelism?

Got it! I think this is Franglais for "Parrallax" where the apparent position of an object relative to another appears to change depending on the angle at which it is viewed.

This would be a problem if tracing out your hatch boundary by eye from a template whose edge is raised above the surface being marked.

As for splintering of the grain, firstly score the surface to be cut deeply with a stanley knife (Oh no...another Dagger! ) before you make the first cut ("et tu Brute?") and use a saw with the finest teeth (no not a smile!) so if its your jigsaw, use a hack saw or even ceramic cutting edge. If its a fret saw and you're patient always pull (or push) the saw at an angle so that the forward part of the cutting stroke is driving into the cut surface.