Dutch Door middle seal?

The friendliest place on the web for anyone who enjoys boating.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.

FF

Guru
Joined
Oct 12, 2007
Messages
22,552
I am going to build a set of Dutch doors for our motorboat LUCY.

A pair of box store door floor seals could work ,

but I hope someone has a better easy to build neater idea.

Anyone done this? Or seen a plan?

It needs to be watertight for FL rainy season , but not for a greeny climbing over the side.
 
Last edited:
I have one as a stern door on the saloon made by Diamond Seaglaze. There really isn't much of a seal. The upper door has a rubber flap with a metal plate to hold it in place, that overlaps the lower door. Seems to work fine as the back wall of the saloon is protected and has a roof over it. The risk on a side door would be from spray driven up at an angle.

Not a great picture, but it should give you the idea.

MC31.jpg

Ted
 
This is two different ways Lord Nelson Tug did it .
 

Attachments

  • IMG_2638.jpg
    IMG_2638.jpg
    195.1 KB · Views: 159
  • IMG_2639.jpg
    IMG_2639.jpg
    195.9 KB · Views: 241
My initial thought was to use a ship lap style joint...more than one place to seal and a positive closure for water / air intrusion.
Here's a link to a discussion on a home based Dutch door w/ pics

Weather strip a Dutch Door

I guess my initial thoughts weren't far off.
 

Attachments

  • dutchdoor.jpg
    dutchdoor.jpg
    62.8 KB · Views: 593
Thanks for the info folks , the Nelson is far cruder than I was planning on , but its nice to know that it works.

The home style door would work as shown , but I am planning to be able to open EITHER the top or bottom at will.

The house door can only open the top or top and bottom.

I have no idea why I would want to open the bottom and not the top , but I think it can be done .

I am thinking a pair of these, with the right spacing might work?

Cinch 36 in. Brown Slide-On Under Door Seal-43337 - The Home Depot
 
Hmmm, open either? Weather strip for temperature? Air intrusion? Or just water?

As a well-known old fart (architecturally, anyway), I prefer old, proven solutions. My go-to weatherstrip is the folded spring bronze, as pictured. I use it for door jambs, sill and head, and for double-hung windows. You'd have to go to extra trouble to get bronze nails; the usual nails sold are copper-plated steel.

For the meeting rail in a Dutch door, I've successfully used the shiplap and the folded spring bronze.

For your requirement of 'either open', your idea of a vinyl brush, as you show, will work. These things are sold in many variations; they don't have to show. I've used the one pictured and I recessed the aluminum extrusion into the bottom of the door. Important negatives of this sort of weatherstrip is that they have to have the right clearance; too large and they don't seal; too small and they don't close, and they wear rather quickly.

A good, easy way to keep water off the joint is to use a rain deflector. They can be bought, made of plastic or aluminum. I make my own; sawn to a trapezoidal cross section. Pictured is my kitchen door bottom with a painted Teak deflector, the bronze weatherstrip at the jamb, White Oak threshold that I made to accommodate the original marble sill and the shrinkage-lowered interior floor. The smears on the threshold are from the spring bronze sliding on the varnish.
 

Attachments

  • IMG_3012.jpg
    IMG_3012.jpg
    111.1 KB · Views: 129
  • IMG_3013.jpg
    IMG_3013.jpg
    96.6 KB · Views: 101
  • door bottom.png
    door bottom.png
    99.7 KB · Views: 116
  • door-weatherboard.jpg
    door-weatherboard.jpg
    12.7 KB · Views: 172
  • Weatherstrip.jpg
    Weatherstrip.jpg
    30.1 KB · Views: 131
I have no idea why I would want to open the bottom and not the top , but I think it can be done .

I'm sure that question has already been asked and debated. Why not determine the need before unnecessarily complicating your project. It's not like you to take the complicated solution when simplicity would be better and more reliable. ;)

Ted
 
I am also watching the feedback on this thread closely, as I also have Dutch doors on my pilot house, either of which can be opened or closed independently of the other. I would like to keep it that way with some sort of creative weatherstripping.
 
I think it would be a rare occasion when the top would be closed and bottom opened. Sounds like Lucy is planning more adventures?
 
The weather strip in an aluminum channel with D section is what is now installed on the bottom of the door. See post 6.

With good spacing two should slide past each other with little wear.

"Sounds like Lucy is planning more adventures?"

Sort of , here in Gods Waiting room there is little interest in a simple boat that can work for a living, and cruise whenever.

So next April 18, we will run her up the ditch to CT and see who up there is interested.

Her dock is on my property so the cost is zero for the delay , and another ditch crawl is always a delight.
 
My pilothouse dutch doors: the lower panel has an inboard vertical flange covered with a rubber gasket, the upper panel has an outboard vertical flange, and a dog holds the two panels tight together. No air or water leaks. (The outer edges of the door also have rubber seals too.)



 
No photos but my Dutch door is like Bacchus , shiplap joint. Only the top can be opened independently.
Rainy country here and rain never entered.
I also used a sealer strip that was simply a self adhesive plastic strip that had a crease centered. It was thin , folded into a vee Installed and then the door and shiplap joint would press against it closing off air leaks.
 
Like my dutch doors when weather is mild. As often as not, have the doors entirely closed or opened. The thought of opening only the bottom half never happened to me, nor do I see the advantage.

 
Last edited:
Don't see any advantage of opening only the lower panel.
 
"Don't see any advantage of opening only the lower panel."

Neither do I , but "Build it they will come" seems rational to find out IF there is an advantage..
 
We often leave upper part open for venting.
Can,t see any use for bottom open independently.
 
Back
Top Bottom