Remove side door to fix rollers

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Seevee

Guru
Joined
Sep 1, 2016
Messages
3,501
Location
usa
Vessel Make
430 Mainship
All,



How does one remove the sliding side helm door, preferably on the Mainship 430, to clean the tracks and change the rollers?
 
I had to remove all the lock hardware and some of the trim on the boat to slide it out. It was a pain but I didn't replace the trim so it will be easier next time. You would think they would be designed to lift out but no..

pete
 
Maybe I was lucky. I tried lifting mine out when fully open. Nope. Shut? Nope. By chance I found a spot about 75% open where the door just barely lifted out with a good tug. Could be a construction flaw if it isn't supposed to be lifted out. My other option was to dig out the wood plugs, unscrew, and pry off the teak trim. Then replace, replug, revarnish.
 
Thx so far... but probably need info from folks that have the Mainship 430. They're all different, even my Mainship 400 is not the same.


Looks like there's a strip at the top that can be removed and simple tilt out.... but would like to know for sure.
 
Thx so far... but probably need info from folks that have the Mainship 430. They're all different, even my Mainship 400 is not the same.


Looks like there's a strip at the top that can be removed and simple tilt out.... but would like to know for sure.

That is how the main slider in my 350 works, sort of. There is a strip at the top that needs to be removed. The door can then be lifted and tipped out from the bottom.
 
That is how the main slider in my 350 works, sort of. There is a strip at the top that needs to be removed. The door can then be lifted and tipped out from the bottom.


Shrew,


Thx, now question.... where do you get rollers?
 
I have replaced the rollers on our 430 and sent Seevee a PM about how to do it. It looks like the doors were installed before the flybridge went on so they cannot be taken off the boat. However the job can be done in place. Just not very easy.
 
Shrew,


Thx, now question.... where do you get rollers?

I found rollers for mine at a local True Value store. A well stocked store will have several choices.
Or try McMaster-Carr online.
 
I love Boatoutfitters. Their door trucks and latches fit the acrylic doors on our 430.
 
That is how the main slider in my 350 works, sort of. There is a strip at the top that needs to be removed. The door can then be lifted and tipped out from the bottom.


Are you saying there is a strip at the top of the HELM door that needs to be removed? On 390. I've been trying to figure out how to removed the helm door. I don't see any screws on the top strip of the helm door on my 390. Where did you find them?
 
I have done mine 4 times. Takes 15 min per side. Pull off bottom track outside panel, (4 short screws), Remove 4 screws holding bottom track to boat. Bend the bottom track out away from cabin and use your foot to hold it down. This will allow the door to roll to the rear. Lift the door up and pull the bottom out of the the bottom track. The door will not come off the boat. Prop the door up with a block of wood on one end. Loosen the middle screw and use a Phillips to tap on the bottom screw to push the roller down and out. The new roller will slide up and be held with the screw you loosened. The bottom roller screw is to adjust the door once installed. Good Luck
 
I have a suggestion. After having replaced rollers several times I became disillusioned with this design. I made starboard blocks that fit into the bottom slot of the door and cut a slot to ride on the ridge of the lower sill. Works smoothly and reliably. Haven't had to do it since then. This was on a Mainship and on a Trojan.
 
On my olde MKI and on the sliding doors at home there is an adjustment screw accessed through a hole in the door near the bottom. Adjust all the way up, and I was able to lift up and out.
You may get lucky.
I found replacements easy at local ACE
 

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I will try to get a pic tomorrow, but it is really nothing complicated. trickiest part is calculating depth the roller sat at so the door sits at the right height. Obviously this method is not adjustable.
 
Porman,

Any chance you could post that info here? I think there are number of us who could benefit from that.

Thank you
 
Porman,

Any chance you could post that info here? I think there are number of us who could benefit from that.

Thank you
I'm away from home right now. Should be home Wednesday and will post it then.
 
Having trouble uploading pics
 
I give up. It's a lot harder to upload pictures than fix a freakin door. If anyone wants pictures feel free to send me a message with your contact info and i can email them to you. Sorry.
 
430 door rollers

I'm away from home right now. Should be home Wednesday and will post it then.

This is a copy of a message I sent to another 430 owner about replacing the lower rollers on the two side doors. The rollers were recommended by another 430 owner who said they fit right in the pockets. They were too wide to fit in mine so I modified them as told in the post. There might be a slightly narrower roller available but I didn't look. The rollers I used were from Home Depot online and were Prime-Line D1554.
While he makes it seem easy, believe me, it's not. It looks like the doors were installed before the flybridge was put on. You cannot remove the doors from the boat.
There are two strips, one on top and one on the bottom, that can be removed with 4 screws (I think) on each. You might have to use an impact driver to get them loose. Look at the bottom track and you'll see a gap in the outer rail. Line up the back roller with the gap, lift the door up, and pull the bottom of the door outward. Slide the door until the other roller lies up and do the same with it. Now you can get the top of the door free from the upper track. This is where you find out you cannot remove the doors.
Set the door on a couple of 2X4's. Remove the lower screw for the roller. Spray some PB Blaster up into the cavity around the roller and let it sit for a few minutes. Use a punch and hammer on the upper screw (it's for adjustment) and drive the roller out the bottom.
The other guy says to just slide a new roller into the cavity. Not going to happen. It's too wide. I had to dis-assemble the new roller, remove the roller pin, and grind it down until it was the correct length to slide into the cavity. I also had to pinch the now empty roller casing in a vice with the slotted side facing up. Then I used a hacksaw to enlarge the slot by one hacksaw blade width, and squeezed the casing together until it was the correct width. There is still room for the roller to spin. I think I might have run a tap through the adjusting screw hole. Re-assemble and start with the adjustment all the way up. Install the assembly into the door, might require some force, and screw in the bottom screw. Oh, put a rag into the drain that's in front of the door. Don't want to loose anything down that hole. Repeat with the other roller. lift the door back onto the track and install the two strips. If the doors feel like they are binding on the bottom, shim the strips out a little. I used an old plastic credit card and cut it into 4 strips and punched a hole in the middle for the screws.
 
On my 2002 390 I had to remove the four screws holding the bottom trim panel in place. Lift the door out of the bottom track. Let it hang from the top track. Then with a helper, use a large flat screwdriver to pry to top aluminum track slightly apart and the top of the door will fall out of the track. My door had rollers on the top and bottom. I replaced them all. Found exact replacements on Amazon. I soaked rollers in lithium before putting on and I am hoping they last for a few years.
 
I give up. It's a lot harder to upload pictures than fix a freakin door. If anyone wants pictures feel free to send me a message with your contact info and i can email them to you. Sorry.


Not that hard:
Click on the paper clip at the top of the box.


That opens the next box, browze for the pix you want to upload and open it, click on upload. That's it.
 

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