Deck hatch problem

S

ScubaAl

Member
Joined
Jul 31, 2001
RO Number
5559
Messages
48
Hello,

I have a 1978 Cruisers Villa Vee. In the cockpit area there are 4 large hatch's that access engines,battery's and whatever blow.
These hatch's are approximately 3'X4'ea.and are fiberglass. I have noticed that 2 of them have become heavier, my guess is there water logged.
Does anyone have any suggestions as to what my options my be.

Thanks, Al
 
Drill some holes in the underside of them and see if water comes out. And/or if the core chips are wet. If so then you'll either have to replace or cut them open and rebuild them.
 
Assuming they have some kind of gas-filled lift strut is it possible the lift struts have gotten weak over the years? Replacing the struts is fairly inexpensive.

Mike
 
No struts, just lift them up and set aside to access.
One of the 4 is much heavier then the others and seems soft/flexible. I guess that's the one to start with as far as drilling holes.
Just have a bad feeling this will be much more expensive then I had hoped.

Al
 
Keep us posted as to what you find and what you do to remedy it as I have a couple of hatches that I'm sure are rotted because they're really flexible and didn't used to be. I'm looking at the same job. I intend to cut them open from the bottom, take out all the coring, replace the coring and glass the bottom piece back on. We all know what they say about good intentions, though.
 
I suspect water in the balsa coring, have seen that quite a few times in the Cruisers line. Hatch covers may not be that bad to repair since the balsa core will not be difficult to remove and then you can probably clean and perhaps fill with foam.
 
quote:
Originally posted by Bayrat

I suspect water in the balsa coring, have seen that quite a few times in the Cruisers line. Hatch covers may not be that bad to repair since the balsa core will not be difficult to remove and then you can probably clean and perhaps fill with foam.

Click to expand...

If this could be a DIY project that would be great. Any details on how to go about doing this? I would start with the worse one first, see how that goes then do the next.
Thanks, Al
 
Cut the bottom of the hatch open along the edge where the core meets the lip area. Dig out and clean out all the old core, replace and re-glass. Then paint.
 
quote:
Originally posted by Capt. Bill1

Cut the bottom of the hatch open along the edge where the core meets the lip area. Dig out and clean out all the old core, replace and re-glass. Then paint.

Click to expand...


Thanks, Al
 
There is tons of help you there -- e.g. other forums I'm not comfortable mentioning here. One hint is to get one of those new saws from Harbor Freight. The type that wiggle, not like a rotary saw or Dremel tool. Very little dust and the cut like a hot knife.

This is about the easiest situation when learning to work with fiberglass. I hope you take this on and have some fun doing it. Worst case you can remove them all from the boat and take them to a pro.
 
quote:
Originally posted by ScubaAl

quote:
Originally posted by Capt. Bill1

Cut the bottom of the hatch open along the edge where the core meets the lip area. Dig out and clean out all the old core, replace and re-glass. Then paint.

Click to expand...


Thanks, Al

Click to expand...


I made that sound so simple didn't I.

Sorry about that. :-)
 
My guess it IS simple; just a LOT of work!

But that's probably the only option. Either DIY or pay dearly.

As far as cutting it out is concerned, a circular saw with a carbide blade will do it (and you probably already have one).
 
quote:
Originally posted by Grand Larsony

There is tons of help you there -- e.g. other forums I'm not comfortable mentioning here. One hint is to get one of those new saws from Harbor Freight. The type that wiggle, not like a rotary saw or Dremel tool. Very little dust and the cut like a hot knife.

This is about the easiest situation when learning to work with fiberglass. I hope you take this on and have some fun doing it. Worst case you can remove them all from the boat and take them to a pro.

Click to expand...

Understand, hard to know sometimes when bending the rules, so................... how about emailing me the site :-')
alfossumrb2@gr5tgmail.com

Thanks, Al
 
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