[C320-list] Companion way hatch-is NOT acrylic

[Jack Brennan]

So here is what I ended up doing.

Starboard is too flexible and light for my purposes with the sliding hatch. It just didn't feel secure when I stepped on it. I think it would be shot after a couple of seasons. (I have a large bimini, and working the main requires me to step on the hatch.)

I thought once again about plexiglass/acrylic, but came to the same conclusion. I read that half-inch acrylic can handle 40 pounds a square foot, which is way less than me stepping on it. I concluded my weight is what caused the crack.

Lexan is out of the picture due to cost, and also because it's not great with UV tolerance. I didn't want to be buying a new hatch every couple of years.

I ended up going to a great little lumber yard near my house. They sold me a nice-looking, custom-cut piece of half-inch marine plywood. I tested it on the boat today, and it was rock solid.

I sanded it later on, and the third coat of West epoxy is going on in a while. The plywood sucked the resin right up. Tomorrow, I'll wipe it with acetone, sand again and apply a couple of coats of white marine paint, then install it on the boat after it hardens for a day.

This will reduce the temperature in the cabin because I won't have light shining in all day, which is a big problem in Florida.

A smaller problem is that I need a way to keep the hatch from sliding all of the way out. Catalina or someone attached a small piece of wood to the rear of the original hatch, then sealed the hood with 4200 or something similar, making it unremoveable.

I'm thinking of an L-shaped bracket that I can flip downward so it catches the lip of the hood. It would be screwed to the bottom of the sliding hatch. That makes it easily removeable if I need to remove the hatch for some reason.

Jack Brennan
Sonas, 1998 Catalina 320
Tierra Verde, Fl.