aft deck hatch removal

[Pettigrewr]

Hello all,
While refinishing the master stateroom, the overhead escape hatch is leaking with the rain.
I am going to remove, rebed with butyl tape and re-install.
Has anyone removed this hatch before and if so, how?
Question - is the hatch simply screwed down or is it thru-bolted and do I have to remove and wood trim around the hatch in the stateroom?
Any info and suggestions needed and wanted.
Thank you.

 

[Scarlett]

I removed mine and as I remember it was just screwed down, best thing you can do is to remove it and fill in a he holes and add some bigger ports in the stern to use as escape hatches. We are very glad we did that, no more tripping over the hatch when coming up aft ladder

 

[Pettigrewr]

Thank you for the info.
I absolutely hate that hatch, nearly fell over it several times.
What the heck was Hatteras thinking in that location!
Removing it will be a spring project. For now, I just need to stop the rain leak into the master stateroom.
I am hoping it will be just an hour or two project.
32 degrees right now and is forecast to be colder the next couple of days!

 

[Pettigrewr]

Got the master stateroom escape hatch done/restored.
1. had to drill and use screw-extractor on every screw, all heavily painted and heads messed up.
2. putty knife and hammer got the frame loose from the deck. Deck was solid with absolutely no deterioration.
3. brass hinge pins were badly corroded/frozen into the hatch frame hinges, had to drill and punch out.
4. was the weekend and all the sandblasting places were closed so grinder with wire wheel, dremel with wire brush, random orbital sander with 60 grit got all the corrosion and paint off the frame, hatch, handles, support arms.
5. wiped all aluminum clean with denatured alcohol.
6. 2 coats of rust-o-leum aluminum primer.
7. 2 coats of rust-o-leum professional topcoat enamel gloss white.
8. had to rebuild one of the dog mounts - was broken off long ago. Lucky for me, the dog handle was still on board.
9. bedded frame with butyl tape from home-depot ($5.47/roll of 17 feet), a lot cleaner than butyl out of tube - no mess. Hatch gasket was good so I just taped it off for painting - could have done a better job of it.
10 . new stainless screws for attaching frame to deck (#10, 1-inch long like original)
All that is missing is non-skid tapes for the hatch top.

This is another one of those projects where it all starts with a simple "I'll just put remove the frame and put down new bedding compound to stop the leak, should take an hour or two" and grows into a "might as well do this, and this, and this" full restoration project taking 4 days!

By the way,I hate this hatch and would have taken the suggestion of removing and glassing over the hatch but then would have to get two jumbo portholes and did not want to get into that right now with trying to complete the master stateroom in the next two weeks.

 

[Maurice]

1973 38' FBDC - Just working on mine now. The frame seems very secure, no leaks, but the gasket on the lid need replacing. Seems like a special type of gasket. Dug out the old one. Does anyone know what it was and where I can get a new gasket to fit the groove? Wiil prep and repaint. Dog mounts are good, hinge pins are good but will replace with SS bolts instead of the pins and cotter pins on each end.

 

[oscarvan]

Is there a way to make a wood (teak/iroko) grate that straddles the hatch and makes a level floor? Don't know if you'd have enough clearance with doors etc....

 

[Pettigrewr]

1973 38' FBDC - Just working on mine now. The frame seems very secure, no leaks, but the gasket on the lid need replacing. Seems like a special type of gasket. Dug out the old one. Does anyone know what it was and where I can get a new gasket to fit the groove? Wiil prep and repaint. Dog mounts are good, hinge pins are good but will replace with SS bolts instead of the pins and cotter pins on each end.

I was lucky and the hatch gasket was in ok condition. My understanding is the hatches were custom made for Hatteras and no parts are available. Call Sams and see if they have a gasket for it. If they can't help, then buy neoprene rubber weatherstripping (the dense kind, not the cheap foam).

As for the hinge pins, If they can be removed without damage then reuse them. I had a terrible time getting them out so I had to replace. I did not want to wait on brass rod to be delivered so I used the stainless steel bolts with washers and lock-nuts. 5/16 x 2" bolt fits perfectly with just enough thread to completely fit the nut without any excess passed the nuts.

Rob

 

[Pettigrewr]

Is there a way to make a wood (teak/iroko) grate that straddles the hatch and makes a level floor? Don't know if you'd have enough clearance with doors etc....

That's an interesting idea for when I'm ready to start on the exterior.
The deck has a camber so it would definitely be a custom woodworking project or maybe use those interlocking wood grate squares.

Rob

 

[Pettigrewr]

1973 38' FBDC - Just working on mine now. The frame seems very secure, no leaks, but the gasket on the lid need replacing. Seems like a special type of gasket. Dug out the old one. Does anyone know what it was and where I can get a new gasket to fit the groove? Wiil prep and repaint. Dog mounts are good, hinge pins are good but will replace with SS bolts instead of the pins and cotter pins on each end.

How did it work out with the gasket,
Were you able to get a replacement from Sam's Marine or end up having to use something else?

Rob

 

[RJM]

I have the same problem with a leaking hatch-except mine is gone altogether. Apparently it was leaking or such a pita to deal with that at some point it was removed altogether. A wood frame and a plywood plug was put in its place. The aft deck was then covered in i/o carpet. That makes the deck almost flush but the plywood was delaminating and we discovered that it was leaking. I've replaced the plywood with new and have a foam seal to (hopefully) keep water out, but that's untested at this point because the bed is directly underneath. I really don't want to go back to the Hatteras hatch even if I could locate one. Right now the "hatch" still works as an escape route as I've made sure that it can easily be pushed out from below. But this is a temporary solution at best. I am looking into a flush-mount that you don't trip over, so if anyone has done this modification, let me know what you did. And yes, I could put in the later double hatches but the master cabin has a lot of custom woodwork which I just don't want to cut into.