Sliding Doors on Californian 42LRC

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Montenido

Montenido

Senior Member
Joined
Dec 3, 2014
Messages
380
Location
Mexico
Vessel Name
Ansedonia
Vessel Make
Californian/Carver 52CPMY
Hi folks,
I am directing my question to any Californian 42LRC owners out there, but all comments are welcome. My Californian 42LRC has a heavy wooden sliding door on each side of the main salon. Currently, both doors are just wood on wood where they slide inside their tracks.

First question - 42LRC owners, could someone please give me the length and width of the door bottom edge that slides in the track on each side? My boat is in Mexico at the moment.

Second question - open to anybody, has anybody installed some sort of nylon or Teflon strip that a sliding door can ride on? Any links to products or pictures would be most appreciated. I would like to head back down there with materials in hand.

Thanks in advance, Bill
 
We rebuilt our doors and door tracks . We screwed in down 1/4" thick UHMW in the bottom of track . Bought 1" wide strips from McMaster Carr . Ours is not a Californian so I can't offer any dimensions .
 
I have a 34 LRC with similar, if not the same, doors. Many years ago, I installed UHMW plastic strips in the track complements of Pineapple Girl. I set it in a bed of 5200 and I installed teflon slider strips to the bottom of the door. They'd slide like a greased pig. Unfortunately, the strips were too thin and brittle and they cracked after a few years. Then I went to Tap Plastics and they told me the UHMW was no longer available and offered me a strip of 1/8 in thick VHMW at less than $4.

It was cut to size and works great. This time I skipped the 5200 and I installed it with a couple screws/washers in the center (double doors with a center bumper stop) and each end. It seems to work as well as the UHMW.

I think it was 1 inch wide. But it was a 9 ft long piece of plastic that wouldn't roll easily. You might get it to a 2 ft diameter roll if you're careful.
 
Montenido said:
Hi folks,

First question - 42LRC owners, could someone please give me the length and width of the door bottom edge that slides in the track on each side? My boat is in Mexico at the moment.

Second question - open to anybody, has anybody installed some sort of nylon or Teflon strip that a sliding door can ride on? Any links to products or pictures would be most appreciated. I would like to head back down there with materials in hand.

Thanks in advance, Bill
Click to expand...

I believe the 38' and 42' starboard side doors are the same, However, I'm not near my boat right now either. So can't give you the door and slide sizes. Maybe somebody else has measurements.

I replaced my door runners long ago with teflon pads, countersunk screws, on the bottom of the door. Whatever that material was in the slide tray, was replaced with a thin stainless steel strip cut to size. The teflon was left over from some boat trailer bunk slides I installed.

It's been 10 -15 years now and no problems. Just wash the slide tray out once in a while to remove any buildup of grit and grime.
 
Last edited:
Greetings,
Whilst I am on rollers, I did install a SS strip (1/4"W, ~5'long and about 1/8" thick) in the bottom of the door groove. Had it cut at a sheet metal shop-$10. Held in by a SS screw at one end only.
 
Bill, I will measure and post those dimensions in a day or two if someone else doesn't beat me to it. I should have checked TF prior to heading to the boat today.:facepalm:

The bottom of our helm door in particular had worn at a slant causing the door to meet the jamb out of plumb. The wear difference was about 3/16" over the width of the door. I ended up epoxying a filler strip to the door bottom and with a straight edge, routing the complementary angle to plumb it back up.

Door guides are on this years list. "Professional Plastics" was recommended by other TF members as a source for UHMW strips. I haven't decided on which material to use, but the VHMW mentioned by FlyWright may weather UV exposure better.
 
Check the Mcmaster Carr catalog for UV stable uhmv. The thickness need to be confirmed on your particular boat. I started if 1/8" but I needed a bit thicker to insure the top of the doors stayed within the channel on top. I used a 304 Stainless strip on the bottom of the doors. Metal on UHMV slides much better than wood on UHMV. The strips are 3 fett long to save extra expense in shipping. Joints are not a problem as long as the ends of the strips are beveled to avoid bumps if they don't all sit at the same elevation. All strips are held in place by countersunk #8 stainless screws. It absolutely works like a charm
 
Last edited:
Thanks folks for the great replies. I ordered some of the material from TAP Plastics in 1/8" thick by 1" wide by 6'6" long for each side. That should get me started.

Thanks for the great info and ideas.

Cheers, Bill
 
I'm onboard now and just confirmed my VHMW strip is 1 inch wide. The channel on my 34 is 1 1/4 inch wide.
 
FlyWright said:
I have a 34 LRC with similar, if not the same, doors. Many years ago, I installed UHMW plastic strips in the track complements of Pineapple Girl. I set it in a bed of 5200 and I installed teflon slider strips to the bottom of the door. They'd slide like a greased pig. Unfortunately, the strips were too thin and brittle and they cracked after a few years. Then I went to Tap Plastics and they told me the UHMW was no longer available and offered me a strip of 1/8 in thick VHMW at less than $4.

It was cut to size and works great. This time I skipped the 5200 and I installed it with a couple screws/washers in the center (double doors with a center bumper stop) and each end. It seems to work as well as the UHMW.

I think it was 1 inch wide. But it was a 9 ft long piece of plastic that wouldn't roll easily. You might get it to a 2 ft diameter roll if you're careful.
Click to expand...

I'm still going strong on the UHMW. the doors on PG aren't that heavy though. my door slides on a very smooth piece of metal. different kind of boat but I'd think the VHMW would work. worth a shot, for the money.

Please let us know how it works out for you!
 
The track width on the 42 is 1-1/4" as well with the port saloon door track being the longest at 66-5/8".
 
1979 42 LRC:

Port Door:
Bottom length 31 5/8
Bottom inside Track Length 66 1/2

Starb Door:
Bottom Length 25 1/8
Bottom inside Track Length 52 1/2

Both inside Track Width:
1 3/16
 
Thanks folks,
Just the information that I needed.

Cheers, Bill
 
Hi folks,
I just returned from 2 weeks aboard Harmony and wanted to follow up with you about this door slider project. I used the 1" wide by 1/8" material and it was the most gratifying project ever. It took 10 seconds to lift one door and slide the new material into the track. I used one SS screw on the outside end to keep it in place, and it was done. The other side took just a bit more effort, having to remove the door first. Now I can open either side with two fingers, instead of two hands.:dance:

Thanks so much to all who helped me with this.

Cheers, Bill
 
I have a door like that on my Jefferson that isn't super easy to open, but I never considered these improvements. Great ideas here...thanks for posting this thread.
 
Here's mine .
 

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