Last years Dickerson Owners rendezvous at the Cambridge Maritime Museum was certainly inspirational. While visiting the many Dickersons tied in their slips along the waterfront in Cambridge I came across one, a D36, that caught my eye due to it's unusual color for a Dickerson. It had a red hull! Upon closer inspection, I was surprised by something else. It had a Butterfly
Hatch! I had seen many of them in print, but this was my first in the flesh. I always thought of them as esthetically pleasing to the eye. The owners, Malone & Rachel Williams, were kind enough to allow me a closer look. After a few minutes, I realized I could make one of these for Wanderlust, our D37. It would make a great winter project. I was "Inspired". I took a couple of measurements and a lot of photos.
I later learned that Robert Shelton had also built a hatch for his D36, and he kindly shared photos of his design. I assumed at the time that the hatch was built by Dickerson. Thanks to Barry Creighton, I found out recently that it was not.
So off to the drawing board, literally, I laid out a hatch to fit Wanderlust. I soon realized that this was going to require a lot of precision to make it come out right and not leak! I knew my 40 year old table saw wasn't going to "cut it". So in January I purchased a fantastic new saw with precision that I could only imagine. Next, I purchased lumber and off I went making lots of saw dust to my wife's dismay. Three months later here we are installed and working as advertised.
Anyone who is interested in making one of these for their boat please contact me and I will be more than happy to share what I learned and my drawing.
Thank you to the Dickerson family who provided inspiration, information and support. ~Al Sampson-Wanderlust
