Re: Deformation around Ha

Posted by Ed on Jul 13, 2004

I've just finished flush hatch covers on a chesapeake.

Yes, the deck near the hatch openings is likely to 'deform' or 'relax' a bit when you cut out the hatch covers. This is especially noticeable for the front hatch. And the hatch cover pieces you remove will also relax a bit.

Depending on how you plan to install gaskets for the hatch covers, and how you plan to hold down the covers, this 'relaxing' may be more or less of a problem. But the overall change in shape is hardly noticeable once the hatch covers are well fitted.

One thing I found on both hatches was a tendency for the covers to twist just a bit when they relaxed.

I also discovered that the deck around the forward hatch opening (probably because of the strong arch to the front deck, and the overall taper of the deck) did not relax equally at the forward and rear edges of the opening. The approach I took was to adjust the arch of the hatch covers to fit the final shape taken by the hatch openings after I'd installed the lips to hold the gaskets.

I got some excellent advice from another builder on this, and perhaps I could send you our email exchanges once I'm at the right computer...

Ed

In Response to: Deformation around Hatch by Bo on Jul 13, 2004

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