F36 Convertible Sliding Door Track

[WayWeGo]

I have been wanting to improve the functionality of the sliding door between the cabin and cockpit on our F36. The other day I took the door off and looked into what was causing it to stick and chatter. While the wheels could probably benefit from an inspection and cleaning, it appears the rail that the door rides on is quite worn. Not only is it lower than it was when new, but it has significant chatter bumps, kind of like potholes on a road. It is also more worn on the side that it opens toward, so it no longer meets up square with the fixed door when closed.

Has anyone done any repairs to this, or just replaced the bottom track? The two obvious solutions to me are replace the bottom track or to remove it, machine it flat and install a new piece that gets it back to original dimensions. Am I missing any other creative solutions?

[Scorpion07]

Years ago when I was younger, I worked at a glass shop. We did quite a bit of residential work. Doorwalls were one thing we serviced. When we ran into bad channels we used a SS U channel cap over the top of the existing aluminum track.
Worked like a charm.
You might want to try that first. Easier and I'm sure cheaper than replacing the entire bottom track....even IF you could find a replacement.
Also, I just reworked my door frame last winter, and I noticed the channel the rollers ride on had chipped paint in places. Obviously effecting the rolling action. I took all the paint down to the SS cap (that seemed to come from the factory) and it fixed the jerky action.
Things to consider???

[WayWeGo]

Interesting idea about the stainless U channel. Do you know what type of supplier they came from? McMaster does not have anything that is an obvious fit, though many possibilities if I do some machining.

My track is rectangular as are the wheels. I guess I could look at using a rounded track repair section and converting to round wheels. Many vendors for this type of product.

No paint on my channel and it is made from an aluminum extrusion. In some places, I would guess that it is worn almost 1/4" and about 1/8" over much of it. If I use a cap that does not rest on the bottom of the extrusion, I will have to do some repair to get the track level and supported. Or I could try to remove some of the material with a router, though I would have to remove both fixed panels to go far enough with the repair.

Maybe I could just make the track lower and compensate with the wheel adjustment...

Lots to think about.

Thanks for the ideas!

[prowlersfish]

Your channel sounds a lot different them mine . My rail is rounded . Do you have a photo ?

[WayWeGo]

No photo, but the rail that the door rides on is flat on top, maybe 1/4" or 5/16" wide and 1/2" tall. I was working on other stuff and did not take any photos or measurements, so will have to do that the next time I get to the boat.

When you remove the door, you can see the part of the rail that the door does not contact, which makes a good reference for what it should look like.

I thought the door frame was racked due to the sliding part not contacting the fixed door correctly, but the track is so worn on one side that the door is not perpendicular to the extruded rail base.

[prowlersfish]

This is what mine looks like minis the L channel . I stole the pic from a post by Captain M ( Thank you Captain Maniac )

[LandVF36]

Several years ago, I took a dremel to the track and smoothed out a couple bumps. Then I replaced the old wheels with sealed roller bearings from the local Ace Hardware store. Cost was < $30 and its rolled great ever since. In fact, we don't leave the dock without catching the door hook to hold it open or it just rolls back and forth when we cross a wake or get to 1/4ing seas.

[WayWeGo]

Door Track.JPG (201.92 KiB) Viewed 11386 times

This is a terrible photo, but it is the only one I could find that shows the door tracks from our boat. The closest track is the one the sliding door rides in. If you look at the left side, you can see where the door roller stops when the door is closed. This side does show some wear, and I can see it in the photo if I squint a little, but the other side is where it is really bad with a lot more wear and chatter bumps.

I am really leaning towards taking a router and machining the track down until it is flat and then replacing the wheels with slightly larger ones like LandVF36 did. The thought of putting a more wear resistant strip of stainless steel on top is also intriguing, but I don't have access to a machine shop to size it correctly.

On a related note, has anyone painted or otherwise tried to repair the finish on the track? Any success with something that holds up?

[captainmaniac]

This is a terrible photo, but it is the only one I could find that shows the door tracks from our boat. The closest track is the one the sliding door rides in.

Am I seeing that right - your slider runs on the inside of the fixed panels? On my F32 the slider is to the outside (aft side), and screen door is forward (where I think you are showing the marks from the roller circled in red). I would have thought he doors would have been made the same way on both models.

[El L Sea]

On my 12m, the tracks were a mess. I almost considered dumping the sliding door and going with a more modern sport fishing style hinged door, but it was cost prohibitive. I instead replaced the bottom of the door with a captured poly wheel setup from Boat Outfitters, and then screwed poly track down to the sill. The poly spacer block between the wheels and door edge adjusted the height. Works great.

Track.jpg (129.98 KiB) Viewed 11377 times

148-1165_zm.jpg (17.16 KiB) Viewed 11377 times

[WayWeGo]

Am I seeing that right - your slider runs on the inside of the fixed panels? On my F32 the slider is to the outside (aft side), and screen door is forward (where I think you are showing the marks from the roller circled in red). I would have thought he doors would have been made the same way on both models.

Yes, the slider is on the inside, then the fixed panel, and the screen is on the outside.

It might be possible to switch the slider to the outside and the screen to the inside, but I would have to be at the boat to see if that is feasible. If it is, it would be a quick fix.

[WayWeGo]

El L Sea, I am not sure about the orientation of your photos. Are the wheels vertical or horizontal when installed?

[El L Sea]

El L Sea, I am not sure about the orientation of your photos. Are the wheels vertical or horizontal when installed?

The wheels screw into the bottom of the door, and the tracks screws where the old track was. So I guess you could say the orientation is the wheels roll along the deck. The picture of the door frame (1st pic) is from the side on my workbench. I actually just slid the bottom part of the door off the glass and everything so I didn't have to haul the whole door home. The bottom picture shows the actual orientation.

[WayWeGo]

The picture of the door frame (1st pic) is from the side on my workbench. I actually just slid the bottom part of the door off the glass and everything so I didn't have to haul the whole door home. The bottom picture shows the actual orientation.

The photo without the glass threw me off -- now I understand. How did you remove the existing track, or did you put the new track on top of it?

Thanks for the suggestion, I will think about all these when I can actually get back to the boat and see what fits the best.

[prowlersfish]

Are you sure your door is not just off track ? Just looking at the wear marks .


captainmaniac The photo in my post is from your boat . Was the L bracket added ?