DIY Hatch Rails

[pinc]

So being in the process of ripping my boat apart, the old cracked
plastic hatch rails have been bothering me. I know the later boats
have metal slides and with some calling around they can be purchased.
But always doing things the hard way and looking to save some money,
I've made my own.

I ordered some anodized 6061 Al U-channel (from McMaster of course -
PN 4592T28) and just finished cutting them to size and drilling the
screw holes using the old rails as a template. The whole thing cost
$45 for both rails and they look like they're exactly the same size
and will fit. Don't know how that compares to what others have paid,
but figured I'd share. Hope this helps someone as I've seen a few
posts for information on the metal replacement rails.

Now to finish making the replacement propeller shaft before spring...

Aaron