Forward Hatch Replacement

[Albreen]

I intend to upgrade the opaque solid forward hatch with a Lewmar 65 trapezoidal hatch. I searched this site for information about this specific replacement and found a lot of material but it was short of exactly matching the same hatch replacement I want to do this spring. The current hatch is slightly contoured and seats onto a frame intergral to the boat. I'll have to cut and chop away at this fiberglass frame - don't know to what degree yet - to get the frame to seat correctly. Has anyone done this before or can someone point me in the direction of information that exists already? Also, what sealant would you recommend? I was thinking of 3M 101 - polysulfide. 

[Ron Hill]

Paul : You' may not have seen my posts about the smoky lens hatches.  I've put a sunbrella cover on mine so I don't get "moon burnt" ! 
I believe that you may be better off with your opaque hatch than with a transparent one.  Also -then the sun won't fade the cover your 1st Mate puts on the Vberth.  My openion !!  A thought

[Albreen]

Thanks for your thought, Ron. I understand what you're saying but here in Vermont, with so little sunlight it's years before something will fade.
Actually, if the hatch is closed during a sail, it's fairly dark when venturing forward down below. And, I don't care for the closure bolts and wing nuts waiting to spear someones head in the v berth. It's also near impossible to close the hatch when on deck. Friends have commented the hatch appears to be a lesser quality component compared to the overall favorable structural build of the boat. So, this seems like a decent upgrade for a number of reasons.

[Stu Jackson]

Friends have commented the hatch appears to be a lesser quality component compared to the overall favorable structural build of the boat.

Paul, sounds like you've done your research.  Your boat, your choice(s)   

Somehow feel that the analysis of this quote may be so far off the mark due to the lack of supporting evidence (NPI) & the issues that will arise from the choice to go with clear, flat hatches without non-skid, and moon-burn for early wakeups are yours, not structural at all.  It's simply covering up a hole in the boat, with little support, regardless of the material.

Doesn't matter, 'cuz you've found what YOU want for YOUR boat.

Our job is to answer your question and help you find the best sealant or (not, oh, please, no) adhesive! 

I do not recall anyone doing this, reportedly, before as you have described.  Most have gone directly to "concepts" who advertise in Mainsheet magazine

Your installation issues are cutting and sealing.  The material and the size of your hatch, as compared to the existing opening and the curved shape, are critical.  Don't know what your capabilities are with tools.

Sealant of the new cuts are important, and look to the options you may have to cover the new edges.  Our MkI has a nice art deco vinyl cover screwed in.

I frankly do not know how to deal with the curve compared to the new what I assume to be straight edge of your new hatch.

Once you're done, the potentially slippery top side will be a cause for another solution that has appeared here or in the wiki.

More detailed questions, or progress reports would be great.  Keep us posted, sounds like a really good new idea.

[Albreen]

Thanks Stu........you raised an issue I didn't consider with the loss of non-skid on deck at the bow. Hmmmm.....I'll have to follow up with the solution information you mention for this. I'll take pictures of the replacement work as it progresses in the next week or so and hopefully be able to provide some insight into what it involves. 

[Ted Pounds]

You might consider mounting a smaller hatch on the existing one.  Not sure how that would look (depends on the hatch you add), but it would get more light in there.  FWIW

[Albreen]

Opaque hatch lives on, at least for a while longer!  &  I uncovered our C34 of it's winter cover this past weekend and attempted to match the Lewmar 65 hatch dimensions to the existing hatch - the Lewmar 65 it is not even close to the existing dimensions - it's much smaller and would require a lot of glasswork to fit well. Perhaps the '87 vintage C34 has a larger hatch than later models? Anyway, this is not the drop in project with minor fit-up I initially thought possible after sourcing the hatch with a Lewmar rep. So, back to the drawing board - perhaps Ted has the correct approach. This all started at the Defender Warehouse sale in late March - Lewmar was selling hatches for $125 apparently because a major sailboat manufacturer cancelled an order from them after production. So, there were all these shiny new, good looking glossy hatches to entice an opaque hatch owner - although the 65 hatch wasn't in this group at the sale, it was still a well priced impulse buy made possible with online research - actual measurements were not at hand - seemed too good to be true at the time. I probably could have purchased a size 70 (at the sale price) and been closer to a good fit. I'll spend the time measuring the OD and ID of the opening in the deck for another potential fit. Suggestions are always welcome. 

[Stu Jackson]

If you read the adverts in Mainsheet magazine, I think it's Cruising Concepts that sell clear dark plastic replacement hatches.  I wouldn't call what is OEM opaque, it's solid, like our deck material.

[Albreen]

Thanks again, Stu - I'll take a look there.