This material, which has a foamed interior, is lighter than StarBoard. I was a little concerned about the exposed edges of the material being weaker than the upper and lower surfaces. After inspecting the material, my fears were laid to rest; the surface of the exposed edges has a slight grain that is hardly noticeable.

The drop board in this boat is small enough that it can be made from a single piece of material. It would be a little on the heavy side if I were to make it from StarBoard but this foamed material was light enough to make a single piece practical.

All the cuts were straight. The only complication was that the top and bottom cuts were beveled slightly. Luckily, I already had the plywood original to set the angle on my circular saw. I used a guide bar clamped to the PVC to ensure straight and accurate cuts.

The PVC material has the same propensity to deform as StarBoard. There was a remote possibility that a breaking wave or a person falling against the drop board could deform it enough to push it into the cabin, so it would require reinforcement. Paul EsterleThe drop board in closed position.

I decided to add two reinforcing bars to the back side of the drop board. These would be made from metal and screwed in place. My first idea was to use stainless steel bar stock, and I actually made one of these bars. However, it was an absolute hassle to cut and drill with hand tools, and it was overkill as far as strength goes.

So I switched to aluminum bar stock for the second piece. This was much easier to both cut and drill, and was more than stiff enough.

I wanted the bars as smooth and seamless as possible. Using a 3/4–inch bit in my router and a guide bar clamped to the drop board, I milled two grooves in the back of the board. I drilled four fastener holes in each bar. I didn't want an exposed nut on either side of the board, so I turned to an old favorite: barrel nuts.

Barrel nuts are somewhat like bolts, with a head and a stem. The difference is that the threads are on the inside of the hollow stem instead of on the outside of a solid stem. These require a slightly bigger mounting hole but the benefit was a smooth head on both sides of the board.

I wanted some sort of a handle to make using the board easier. A quick trip to my local marine store resulted in a molded white plastic handle that was a good color match and complimented the style of the drop board.

I built this drop board from the PVC material as a long–term test of its durability. After three years of use, it is still in excellent shape. The color hasn't yellowed and the edges haven't experienced any deterioration. It's a keeper.

ELECTRICAL PANEL

I decided to completely rewire my 26–foot project boat. That included changing the location of the electrical panel as well as building a new electrical panel. The new panel would have the panels and switches mounted on the front and terminal blocks and bus bars mounted on the back. I decided to use non–conductive StarBoard for the pane.