Sliding Door Lock, 32 Sedan

[SunbeamIV]

Does anyone know if the lock on the sliding door is a standard, available item?

I purchased my M in August, and while well equipped, there were no keys for anything, including the battery switches and sliding door. The main reason isn't for security, but the door tends to slide open at the dock when the boat rolls in high winds.

I have enjoyed following the topics and posts on this excellent and informative discussion board, and look to the great advice of the current and past posts often.

[yooper]

I got simple sliding bolts attached to the top inside of the door frames. They slide into holes drilled into the underside of the top door casement. You still need to find locks to keep the door closed from the outside. Check with a patio door and window servicer.

[bcassedy]

Yoop's correct about the sliding bolts in the doors. I've got them on my 32' SB. The holes are drilled such that they will keep the doors shut OR hold them open as well. The issue I had was that if I was on the top console while under way, and wanted the doors shut but still leave the lower areas accessible, I'd have to leave the key in the lock in order for anyone to get inside. Otherwise, as Scott points out, the doors would slide/slam as the boat would pitch. So, the question... How to keep the doors shut but not locked while under way?

One answer.. there's a gap between the door's frame when it's closed. That gap is sufficient to epoxy rare earth magnets to the frames. These little suckers are incredibly strong and will hold the doors closed when they come into contact with one another (ie, when the doors close and the opposite field ends of the magnets come together). It takes a fair amount of force to get them to come apart. Not "pry bar" force, as these magnets normally aren't very big, but sufficient that the rolling action of the boat is overcome and the doors stay shut.

There are some things to remember when installing:
1. Measure the thickness of 2 magnets as you may need to:
2. "Shim" a SS piece on one or both door frames to "build out" the distance between the frames. The magnet faces have to come into contact to get the full benefit. You should counter sink the hole that will keep these shims in place using a countersunk SS screw to hold them to the door frame.
3. Ensure that you're using an extremely strong epoxy to hold the magnet to the shim. This contact point is the "weak link" in the set up. It's not actually weak, but between: the magnetic pull of the magnets when in contact with each other, the attachment method of the shims to the door frames, and the contact/bedding of the magnet to the shims, its the bedding of the magnets where attachment failure could occur.
4. Make sure, at the time of bedding magnets, that you have attracting faces aligned correctly!!!
... it'd be kinda embarrassing to close the doors and find that you have a South to South or North to North face set up and the doors actually bounce away from each other!

Bill

[SunbeamIV]

The magnet idea would solve the sliding door problem while underway without having to lock the door. Thank you.