[C320-list] Deck hatch sealing.

[Scott Thompson]

Having done three of these, I'm a big fan of the Bomar hatch sealing 
tape.  It's a foam tape impregnated with sealer with adhesive on one 
side.  You just peel the cover off the adhesive, run a length around the 
edge of the hatch with a little overlap at the end (being careful to 
cover the screw holes, then drop the hatch back in and reinsert/tighten 
the screws.  The hardest part is cleaning all of the old sealant off of 
everything first.

My attempts to reseal using different kinds of caulk have all been 
disasters due to the poor fit between the hatch and the deck cutout. 
There are big hidden gaps in there that are hard to fill with a liquid 
product.  You end up with caulk everywhere, and then it's hit or miss 
whether it will actually be watertight after everything cures.

You can find the hatch tape here:

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

It's a bit pricey, but worth it given how much better it works, and the 
time you will save using it.

Scott Thompson
Surprise, 653


Monte B. wrote:
> What product have some of you used to seal the deck hatches? Mine are
> Lewmar's and I have tightened all of the mounting hardware twice. I am
> fairly sure the leakage is at the hatch, deck joint and the sealer seems to
> have gone the way of the port light bedding.
> 
>  
> 
> Monte
> 
> Laima #620
>