Sliding Doors

Sliding doors are a versatile and efficient way to make best use of a tight situation. 

They slide over the walls, passing over adjacent windows and stay nice and flat out of the way. 

They can be opened fully, or partially, with the aid of a top mounted flush bolt that locates in a series of holes in the head track. 

Sliding doors are often built into a 'pocket' situation meaning that you can build freezers and storage lockers right up and up against the pocket they slide into.

Most commonly they are face fitted, over the hole in the vessel, but can also be built into the bulkhead. The key is to speak to us well in advance so we can help you plan how they can be installed into the vessel.

With face fitted doors, you need to allow 52mm of bulkhead above the opening in the vessel, and 77mm below the bulkhead, so the sliding door tracks can be installed leaving a small lip of bulkhead above the bottom track, to help stop any water egress into the saloon.

We can make the doors mitred or with radius corners with options being 76mm, cut out in the vessel.

As you will see in the photos above there are lots of different options for finishes, silver or black anodised, bright anodised or white powder coated (powder coating recommened in the aft only).

There are TWO different types of sliding doors, Interlock & Overlay: it is important that you choose the correct type for the situation in your vessel. Please read more below...

Interlock Sliding Doors

This door has a panel style on the leading edge and an interlock style on the trailing edge of the door panel. A second piece of interlock style (mullion) is built into the opening in the boat, so that when the door panel shuts it forms an interlocking seal with the door frame. The back of the sliding tracks need to be packed out 6mm so the interlock tag on the back of the sliding door panel doesn't hit the wall, or adjacent windows, when sliding over it. The boat builder must build in this interlocking mullion into the finishing work of the boat.

This type of sliding door is recommened where the door is directly exposed to the elements, in either forward or side facing situations. The interlock will form a tight seal to keep out wind and water.

Overlay Sliding Doors

This option is the more economical one. This door is constructed with the same panel style on the leading edge and trailing side of the door, meaning the door overlays the opening in the vessel. This leaves a gap from the back of the door to the surface of the boat which we supply a door stop of bug strip, to form a draught strip.

This type of sliding door is recommended in the aft of the vessel, or internally, as it is only weathertight so should not be placed in a position where it takes a direct hit from the elements.