We replaced ours by finding a exotic wood dealer and buying a whole new companionway panel with african mahogany veneer marine grade ply. Cut it to the same size as the original and moving the lock and other hardware over. The doubler was also replaced while the top plank was easily removed and set on the new door, varnish to match your current colors.

The hard dodger will need to be lifted to replace the full panel, this was accomplished by using the main and mizzen halyards to lift the dodger once unbolted, it only needed to be raised a foot or two. You will have to use a breaker bar to break the caulking between the dodger and cabin top but that's a great time to clean up and reset the dodger.

This wasn't a hard job at all and no stays has to be tampered with. Overall, once the new panel is cut and finished, the actual replacement was no more then a two hour job!

Hope this helps, -Bob

Jose I'll be in Boston later this week it would great to chat up Amels. I am at 603 767 5330.
Regards. SM 209
Richard on Challenge
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

Jose, The veneer was failing on my boat,rather than trying to replace the
veneer,I sanded the veneer off so I had a smooth surface.I then took the
plate off the side of the mizzen mast and took it to Home Depot and had the
color matched, primed and painted.The door now matches the rest of the
cockpit and looks good. PatSM123

Hello Jose. The main problem in effecting a good repair is that you
must remove the dodger to get the door out to completely re-skin the
veneer. This is not easy, I have done it several times in preparing
used Amel boats for resale and it is a job that will test your skills
and your patience.



Several other options exist. A skilled woodworker can re-veneer the
door in place with thicker teak veneer. This repair never looks as
good as original but can be about 95% as good, dependant on the skill
of the person doing the job. Also, I have seen people use exterior
grade laminate product (Formica or similar) to good effect as long as
the surface is properly smoothed and prepared. The same for painting.
Like all painting projects, the preparation is the key part of the
job. Lighter colors with less gloss are easier to apply to end up with
a satisfactory finish.



I knew one brave and very tool savvy client who actually cut the door
in half with a 45 degree horizontal cut. He resurfaced it and glued
the two pieces together and put on a simple trim piece over the
mid-panel cut that was nearly flush that looked ok and seemed to work
well.



Again, not an easy repair but a rewarding one to get right.





All the best,

Joel F. Potter



Joel F. Potter - Cruising Yacht Specialist, LLC

Amel's Sole Associate for the Americas

401 East Las Olas Boulevard, #130-126

Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33301

Phone: (954) 462-5869

Email: jfpottercys@...