During our summer cruise in 2005, we really missed having a bug screen for our forward hatch. Previous to building the new hatch we had a simple screen that fit over the top of the opening, however once the new hatch was built that screen no longer fit. We were determined not to have the same problem in 2006.

Three Panel Design

After giving the problem some thought, I decided that the best way to approach the issue would be to build a 3-panel screen with side panels matching the profile of the open hatch, and a third panel connecting the two side panels. To keep the screen in place I planned to sew some heavy line into the bottom hem as flexible, non-marking weight.

I headed to the boat and measured the open hatch then made a paper template to size. The template included 3/4 inch extra for the seams along the "sides" and 4 inches extra along the "bottom" so that I would have material to make the hem which would hold the "weight". Once the template was made I cut two matched panels from lightweight fiberglass screen material—the same stuff used to replace standard household window screens. Finally I cut a third, rectangular panel that was the width of the hatch plus seam allowance and the length of the 4 "sides".

Tough Stuff!

With my 3 panels in hand it was time to set up a sewing station. Because I was going to also be sewing a cockpit awning I wanted to be sure I had room for fabric to run clear on either side of the machine and wanted to be able to catch up on some TiVO recordings. Ultimately, setting up the decrepit old machine on the coffee table worked well, as I was able to sit on the floor and long bolts of fabric wouldn't have to hang 3 feet down to the floor, making them easier to handle.

What I wasn't prepared for was how tough the fiberglass screening was to sew! I'm sure a professional, or experienced hobbyist wouldn't even give it a second thought, but the last time I had sewn anything with a machine had been in 8th-grade HomeEc class. (I'm not sure if my teacher would be pleased or horrified by what I was doing now!) At any rate, I found that the material didn't feed very well through the machine, even after adjusting the feed dog height and foot pressure. I muddled through however, and ultimately had reasonable success.

Once I had sewn the panels together, I created a wide hem along the bottom, leaving a two inch opening through which I fed three loops of 3/8 inch double braid line that I had kicking around. I'm sure I could have sewed the hem with the line already in place, but my rudimentary skills made me decide to not try that. Once I had fed the line into the hem I closed up the small opening I had left.

With the screen finished it was time to take it to the boat for a test fitting. I was a bit worried about whether the "weight" would be up to the task if a strong breeze piped up. The day I took the screen to the boat however, was a blustery one, and the screen proved to be very stable even in the 25 knot gusts. I was pleased with the fit and the screen proved to be a great addition during summer cruising.