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Re: Hatches

PostPosted: Tue Jun 17, 2014 5:01 pm
by herbt
OOPS! I meant warped. My mind must have been wrapped around something else.
If you drill 3 - 1/8 holes very close together at each corner you can make a starter cut with a utility knife that will enable you to insert a NEW jigsaw blade and continue the cut. A new blade will not wander like a dull one. Take time and stay on the line.

Herb

Re: Hatches

PostPosted: Tue Jun 17, 2014 6:58 pm
by DanaDCole
Well, maybe I'll give it a try, but I'm starting to question whether I really need lazarettes at all.

Re: Hatches

PostPosted: Tue Jun 17, 2014 8:07 pm
by DanaDCole
Unintentional submission.

Re: Hatches

PostPosted: Wed Jul 16, 2014 11:13 am
by craig
I still like this idea. I wonder if the drain channels are even needed. Kayaks can have flush-mounted hatches with a gasket around the rim to keep out water. If you were OK with a little bit of water getting through, maybe I could just cut out the hatch top, glue in a lip of plywood with a gasket on top, and lock the hatch top back on with toggles. It might leak a little bit but everything else seems to leak anyway.

http://www.clcboats.com/shop/products/b ... h-kit.html

Re: Hatches

PostPosted: Wed Jul 16, 2014 11:49 am
by DanaDCole
Not having studied the plans carefully enough, I was under the impression that the water could go from the lazarettes all the way down to the bilge under the cockpit, which is inaccessible unless you put an inspection hatch in the cockpit floor. After looking more carefully I'm now pretty sure that, as long as you seal everything up properly with epoxy, that won't happen. So my concern level has dropped way down.

I have some bedding tape I got on "Captain Charlie's" recommendation and he says has prevented leaks (at least so far). So as long as I don't put anything in there that shouldn't get wet I'm not going to worry about it. I was thinking about scuppers at the bottom of the compartments that drain into the cockpit floor, but if you're heeled over when water is still sloshing around on the floor then that would not be so good.

So, I don't think it would be a huge problem to have to sponge out or even pump out the lazarettes once in a while. It would be a good idea to check them every now and then so you don't have water standing in there too long and causing mold problems.

Bottom line--as usual, stick with the plans and the manual. John et al. did a really great job of working all this out.

Re: Hatches

PostPosted: Wed Jul 16, 2014 2:21 pm
by craig
The plans specify an open compartment extending under the cockpit floor (where the floatation foam is supposed to go). Just yesterday I finished a modification on my boat to seal off that area with plywood and epoxy filets. The sides of the footwell now extend all the way to the floor of the boat, so each lazarette compartment is independent and sealed completely and the floatation foam under the footwell floor will be permanently sealed in.

The problem is that the lowest point of the lazarette compartment is below the footwell elevation and at the inside of the boat, not the outside. So there is no easy way to drain that compartment automatically unless you drain directly to the cabin bilge. I believe Tattoo has that modification, but I don't see the point of draining rain/sea water INTO the boat.

I plan on only storing things in the lazarette compartment that can get wet: dock lines, bumpers, etc. I will install a scupper drain as low as I can into the footwell area as a "worst-case scenario" in case the compartment starts to flood. Or I suppose I could drain through the transom. Other than that: I'll just have to sponge it out manually in case it floods.

So basically I would like the hatch to be watertight but think I can survive if it isn't. What is the bedding tape you are using?

Re: Hatches

PostPosted: Wed Jul 16, 2014 7:16 pm
by herbt
Craig
I have built flush kayak hatches as you describe. They are much smaller and are stiffened with plywood ribs on the underside to hold their shape and are held down with straps.
Are you planning on using hinges, or will the lid be loose when opened? If you don't stiffen the lid it will probably not have a chance to hold out water. If you do go with this idea, one way to provide some drainage around the lid would be to rasp out a shallow channel at each foot well corner.
Herb

Re: Hatches

PostPosted: Wed Jul 16, 2014 8:49 pm
by DanaDCole
As to the bedding tape, I ordered according to Charlie Huie's (Captain Charlie) recommendation. I looked at the box it came in and all it says is it came from Compass Marine Inc. There is no information about it inside the box, just two rolls of bedding tape. Sorry, it has been a while since I bought this so I don't remember any details. You might try writing Captain Charlie (a member of this forum) about it.

Re: Hatches

PostPosted: Tue Sep 09, 2014 10:43 am
by herbt
Thought I would post a shot of how the completed flush hatches look like for those who are interested.

Herb

Re: Hatches

PostPosted: Tue Sep 09, 2014 10:51 am
by truenorth
That's nice work. I've been kicking around this idea since I saw the original manual and glad to see someone tried it. I can't tell if it's any less or more dry than a traditional hatch but it's certainly cheaper and fits with the boat's design.