Front Hatches

[Aaron]

G'day Hatters,
How has everybody's Easter been?

Since I bought Dawn Breaker there has been a lot of change and modification to her.
I have never liked its front hatch, I've always thought it was to big, in a silly spot and very hard to get a good water tight seal.
So today I glassed it up with 450 gram chop strand. Has anyone done this before?
I'am interested in what sort of hatches people have put on there boat. At the moment I'm sold on a New Zealand offshore hatch.
I know many of you think I'm nuts but I'm planning on going far that why I've completely stripped her bear and making her a mini submarine.

Cheers,

Dawn Breaker.

[scotty]

hi
i have a mark 2/3 and had trouble sealing the front hatch - i tried all sorts of unsatisfactory seals over the years.
i finally succeeded in gaining water tightness by judicious application of sikaflex sealant - i laid a generous bead of sika all around the underside of the lid and placed electrical tape on the corresponding surface of the hatch opening . I then closed the hatch and allowed the sika to harden and later removed the tape.
cheers

[Peter57]

I used to have Marinka, a Top Hat 25 that is now located in Lake Macquarie and is a Mark 2. She was rigged strongly with oversize rigging and attachment points and the front hatch had been glassed in and had a hatch fitted but I am not sure what brand. It worked well. You might be able to catch up with Wayne the current custodian of Marinka and have a look at i. Cheers

[storm petrel]

I find the large front hatch on my Mk11 great for providing a bit of breeze through the boat when sleeping at anchor. I used quite thick rubber to form a waterproof seal some years ago and have never had a problem since. You have to supply quite a bit of pressure to close it but it never leaks even when the deck is awash is a seaway.

Cheers,
Mark

[bearmcnally]

HATCH SEAL

[Aaron]

HAHA love it bear!!
I recon its going to be a better seal when its futher back and opens aft.

Dawn Breaker