Mark I Bomar Midship Hatch Rebedding

[Randy Stolze]

I am about to launch into this pre-splash maintenance and was curious if anyone had any advise. I hate surprises...

[Ron Hill]

Randy : I'm not too sure I would take on removing and re-bedding the entire hatch for fear of damaging the surrounding gelcoat.  If the entire hatch is loose, then I'd try to get it out - otherwise I'd leave it in place.
If you have a leak, I'd try to gingerly cut away the old caulk and run a new seam of caulk all around the entire hatch.  A thought

[Craig Illman]

Randy - As a bit of a corollary to Ron's advice, I'd suggest spraying a copious amount of Debond http://www.marineformula.com/ around the outside edge. It worked wonders, very quickly, when I replaced my bow roller last year. When I had to re-glaze my Bomar hatch a few years back, the charter base crew removed my hatch for me. I don't know how much of a project it was, but there wan't any damage.

Craig

[RV61]

Randy,
I pulled this hatch a couple years back due to a leak and used a small pry bar from stanley tools to ease up the frame. Used  a rag under the tool to protect the cabin top and  had no issue with it coming out. The old caulk was very brittle. Cleaned up all the old caulk. Coated edges of the cut out with some fast drying epoxy and let dry. I did this so when it may leak again the water could not petrate into the cabin top. I then rebedded the frame with some 3m 4000UV fast cure flexible caulk.
Rick     

[Stu Jackson]

We had small evidence of a leak a few years ago.  Couldn't get the hatch off the hole, didn't have a crowbar and didn't think of any other removal tools, so we carefully removed the gunk at the edge of the hatch where it meets the deck.  Dried it out, cleaned it up and re-caulked that edge.  Leak gone, four or five years, so far, OK.