356 - Hard to open companionway door

[buster53]

The sliding companionway door on my 356 is hard to open and shut. I manage just fine, but my wife complains about it everytime she uses it.
Anyone know the secret to making it slide easier?

[bud37]

I have heard that if you clean the tracks real well that may be half the problem....I believe there might have been a thread about that same thing a while back.

[Cooler]

Yep, just spray some grease cleaner in the tracks. If you can isolate the area, you can use some Gumout carb cleaner. Then spay a little lubricant in there. It's amazing how much gunk can get in there from spider guts, or bug cadavers. er

[mjk1040]

Make sure someone didn't screw down the thumb screw under the seat that you use to keep the door from sliding back and forth while underway.

[buster53]

Ok, looking more closely at the door, I have a problem with the bottom track. The inboard side of the door is firmly in the track. The outboard side (port side) is out and the door almost looks like it is slightly curved or warped. I also noticed there are 3 screws at the bottom of the door with some kind of backing to hold them in place. These screws connect the plexiglas door to a male slide that fits into a female slide that is attached to the boat. Anyway, the 2 screws to port are missing. Anyone know what size screws they are and what kind of backing is used to hold them in place?
Yes, I could take the one out to match them up, but I'm really afraid if I take it out, I won't be able to get it back in and I really mess up the door even worse.

[buster53]

Spent some time at my local hardware and found what I needed. Door does work better now...not great, but better.

[chpsk8]

Try a lube called Slipit. Worked great for me. The previous owner had mounted a huge handle on the door and it looked ridiculous. Cleaning the track helped, but adding slipit made it so I can slide it with two fingers now.