Another question for Laszlo re: hidden hatch fasteners

Boy, are you popular!  I am finishing up my Wood Duck 10 hybrid, and can't stand the idea of ruining the flow of the rear deck by attaching external hatch fasteners.

Your idea is great, but since I am a first time builder, I could use more specifics. How far apart should the donut holders be and how far down from the top of the hull?  Also, where's the best place to locate the hooks on the hatch cover(distance from sides/center)?

Thanks for your help,

 

Rich


4 replies:

« Previous Post       List of Posts       Next Post »

RE: Another question for Laszlo re: hidden hatch fasteners

Look under 'Tips for Boatbuilders' at the top of the page.  Click on Fitting Out Your Boat, then select Installing Flush Hatches without Toggles.  That should give you a rough idea.  Laszlo might provide specifics, I haven't built a Wood Duck (yet) so shouldn't.  Good luck.

RE: Another question for Laszlo re: hidden hatch fasteners

I just finished my firts boat a petrel and tryed the hidden hatches by the time you get the hatch tight enough to not leak it seened to me to a pain to attach the hold downs then it was worth the webbing strps make access fast and esy you can do it with one hand if needed i could not imagine trying to do the hidden hatch in the water if you had to

RE: Another question for Laszlo re: hidden hatch fasteners

Hey Rich,

Wasn't ignoring you, I was off at Okoumefest. That wasn't my idea, BTW, I got it from Ross Leidy and the CLC Shop Tip that ootdb mentions. I just documented how I put it into my WD.

As far as exact dimensions go, they're not that important.You can use the picture as a guide. On the left, that's the bulkhead behind the seat, and that's the joint between the side and bottom under the donut. Whatever spacing that ended up being, relative to the front of the hatch, that's what I used in the back. The main thing is to make it symmetrical and to avoid extreme angles on the bungees.

You can see on the bottom picture that the hooks are on the front/back centerline and on the outside edge of the hatch doubler.

I don't know about petrels, but if you replace the open cell foam weatherstripping that comes with the WD12 kit with a closed cell foam gasket, it takes a lot less force to make it watertight. Could be related to the hull shape.

I've accessed the hidden hatch on the water. It took 2 hands. Mostly though, I use the hatch for things I don't need on the water. The cockpit is big enough that I can keep my water, lunch, binoculars, camera, boots, first aid kit, anchor, bailer and spare paddle up front and still have room to stretch my legs (including crossing and uncrossing them.

Laszlo

 

RE: Another question for Laszlo re: hidden hatch fasteners

Thanks to Laszlo and others who responded.  I now know exactly what to do.

 

Rich

« Previous Post     List of Posts     Next Post »


Please login or register to post a reply.