Hatch Restoration

The Teak is Quite Weathered

Partially Finished Hatch
Lids and the Sanded
Companionway Steps

   It has been very cold in Northern Indiana and that has slowed things a bit. But there is some progress to report. The two hatches and Dorade boxes and cockpit grates and companionway steps were removed and taken inside for refinishing. All this woodwork is teak. The lesson learned: teak surfaces sand away very quickly. There is a reason that teak cleaners are recommended. Sanding does leave a smooth surface while the cleaners leave grooves along the grain of the wood. But sand only if you are willing to give up as much as 1/8 inch of thickness with each refinishing. The grates on this boat were already on the thin side so I used cleaner on them only. And they look good in spite of the fact that the grain is quite evident. I used the same procedure on the forward hatch but sanded lightly. The second hatch was sanded exclusively and so were the Dorade boxes. I used Sikkens (from Interlux) Marine Clear) with the Sikkens Gloss as a topcoat. Everything looks very good but I will rely more on the cleaner from now on. The cockpit combings and binnacle/main sheet traveler platform are already about as thin as I want to see them. That is on the list next.

   I am including pictures of the forward hatch installation. It was formerly secured with 20 or so screws and silicone seal. I replaced it with just 4 screws and 3Ms 5200 Fast Dry as a sealant/adhesive -- I think the result will be greater strength and far less likelyhood of leaking. Lesson learned: the 5200 is extremely messy (low viscosity). And it is very hard to clean up. So mask everything you do very carefully in order to remove the excess goo on the edges of the fillet.

The Center Hatch
Taped for 5200 Fairing

   Black silicone was used to seal the acrylic. Over sized holes were drilled for the stainless screws and countersink washers were used to spread the load over a broader surface -- hopefully this will prevent cracks radiating from the screw holes.

The Center Hatch After Removing Tape

The second, center, hatch has now been installed. Masking tape was applied to very carefully define the area where the 5200 should be smoothed. The result was a much neater installation. I find that one's finger in a rubber glove works about as well as anything else when it comes to smoothing the sealant. This hatch was put in place without any screws at all -- the 5200 seems fully up to the task of holding it in  place.

   A year or so later I am so impressed with the way the boat is shaping up that new acrylic hatch panes are ordered ($300 for the companionway hatch and the two deck hatches). It is decided to eliminate the screws with countersink washers all round the edge of the frameworks. We used the double sided VHB (very high bond) 3/4 inch tape (black) from 3M instead (part number 4979F). It is too soon to be sure that the bond will be sufficiently "high" to hold up. But it sure looks good -- just like the most modern hatches!

A Hatch Light Secured with VHB Tape

   This picture is a bit out of focus but it shows the hatch acrylic in place with just the VHB glazing tape. Note the foam self adhesive weatherstriping emplyed to seal the gap in the wood frame.

Foam Weatherstriping Detail