[C320-list] Forward Hatch Gasket

[Scott Thompson]

My 1999 boat had some kind of grey putty sealing the hatch to deck joint 
on the forward hatch.  When this started leaking I removed the hatch, 
cleaned everything up and rebedded using a polysulfide caulk.  (I don't 
recall if it was LifeCaulk or 3M 101.)  This did not work well.  The 
gaps between hatch and deck were large and even large amounts of caulk 
did not completely seal.  The flange on the hatch frame made it 
impossible to caulk the opening directly, so the process was to put vast 
amounts of caulk around the opening, put the hatch in place and hope for 
the best.  I tried twice and could not get a good seal.  I did manage to 
make a big mess.

In the end I purchased the Bomar recommended saturated hatch mounting 
foam tape available from their web site 
(http://www.pompanette.com/bomar).  After removing all of the caulk, the 
installation time with this stuff was just a few minutes, and no leaks 
after two years.  Wish I had started with it.  The only problem is that 
it's sold in 33 foot coils and isn't cheap ($50/coil).  Neither is my 
time.  This link may or may not take you straight to the right page...

http://www.pompanette.com/pompweb.nsf/731d6514ff5a8481852567be000745b2/735e271a8a37bd138525683f004c342a?OpenDocument

Scott Thompson
Surprise, 653


Jeff Church wrote:
> Bert,
> 
> I re-bedded my hatch 3 years ago. I don't recall that there was any gasket material under the hatch frame. I think Catalina used silicone or some other type of caulk/sealer. I thoroughly cleaned the deck under the frame, masked off the area around the frame, and bedded the hatch in LifeCalk. So far, so good.
> 
> Jeff 
>   ----- Original Message ----- 
>   From: BAdams3491 at aol.com 
>   To: C320-List at catalina320.com 
>   Sent: Saturday, December 30, 2006 1:58 PM
>   Subject: [C320-list] Forward Hatch Gasket
> 
> 
>   My original Bomar forward hatch has developed a consistent leak around the  
>   base...as if the gasket has shrunk and will not stay where it should be to keep 
>    the rain out.  I cannot get to the boat for a while to check, does anybody  
>   know the model number or exact measurements of that hatch so I can order a  
>   gasket?  I've been on the Bomar web site...there are too many hatches to  
>   attempt to guess as to which is ours.
>    
>   Thanks,
>   Bert
>   At Ease
>   #442