I have a 50 ft cruising catamaran recently purchased from the owner builder. I note in your cruising encyclopedia that you mention that only cast hatches can be welded directly to the coaming. I was wondering if there was a way to weld lower priced extruded hatches to a 6061 deck? Look forward to your comments.
In theory, you can weld 6000 series extruded aluminum alloys. This is done with masts and booms al the time. The problem comes in the thickness of the metal. Extruded hatches are so thin that they are likely to deform substantially. However, this is speculation on my part, so I would suggest that you find an old base of the type of hatch you are using, and then experiment with welding it.
You never know, it might just work. Let us know what happens. Regards, Steve Dashew
Posted by Steve Dashew (November 30, 1999)
