So you wanna fix your fore hatch? Caught your jib sheets under the hatch, tweaked it between the plastic and the aluminum frame? Now the plastic leaks? No shit, this is a relatively quick and easy job. Listen to me now and believe me later.
Removing the hatch lid from the deck frame makes for an easier and cleaner job. Use a razor knife to cut the existing bedding holding the plastic to the frame. Then use a putty knife and a scraper to scrape the aluminum clean.
If the plastic is crazed, now is the time to replace it with either acrylic (Plexiglas), or polycarbonate (lexan). Acrylic scratches less, flexes less, and is cheaper. Polycarbonate scratches easier, is more flexible, is stronger and more expensive. If you will be using the old plastic, clean the vertical edges with a scraper, and the horizontal surfaces with a plastic scraper so you don't scratch the surface.
Now here is the important part--read my lips; there are only two bedding compounds to use. One is Dow Corning 795. The other is G.E. SILPRUF. Both are sold in cartridges, and both were designed specifically for adhering to plastics. They both clean up with paint thinner.
To reassemble, squirt the bedding on the aluminum frame and lay into the plastic with hand pressure, making sure there is a seal between the aluminum and the plastic, and also the vertical seam between plastic and frame. Caution should be used as applying too much pressure will displace too much bedding. Usually the weight of the plastic is enough.
Now, gingerly turn the hatch over, laying the plastic on some pre-cut pieces of wood covered with cloth. Using a soft spatula, remove the excess bedding from the inside of the hatch. Finish cleaning with major amounts of rags and thinner. Now, turn the hatch right side up, holding onto the frame with light finger pressure to keep the plastic in place. Set the frame on your workbench and clean the top seam with a plastic spatula, rags, and thinner. Check to make sure the seam between the plastic and the aluminum doesn't have any bubbles. If bubbles exist, refill and clean. The plastic should be level with the rim of the frame, or slightly below. After it's all clean, walk away for 24 hours.
Lon Woodrum #66 Frenzy
This article originally arrived at the desk of our indefatigable staff reporter Sydnie Moore who, as a yacht maintenance professional herself, had some suggestions to further illuminate this most vexing of boat maladies. As a personal aside, I now understand why professionals are called upon to perform these 'simple' tasks. Just the thought of walking away for 24 hours exhausts me. Sydnie's addendum follows.
If you have a Lewmar Ocean Series forward hatch, I have had great success also using the Lewmar hatch repair weather stripping as an extra binder/water seal under the lens as a first step. This also keeps the lens in place when you turn the hatch over to seal with the bedding. I have used chopsticks or tile spacers to achieve an even spacing, and made sure to use enough bedding so that it beaded slightly higher than the aluminum hatch ridge--in anticipation of shrinkage. Then I used either a stirring stick or a gloved finger to remove the excess and create a clean edge. After the lens was in place and the hatch set upright, I place a 2.5 gallon water bottle on top to weigh the lens down with pressure onto the Lewmar lens striping. Also, in the preparation stages, I have found that Sika sealant remover works well to clean the old lens and frame, and will aid in the removal of excess bedding while work is in progress.
Sydnie Moore, #84 Nobody's Girl
Vive la Differance--ed.
Last modified: Mon Mar 30 13:47:08 PST