Pearson Boats - Common Systems > Ports & Hatches
P323 hatch refurb
m_boone:
Hi folks, I never imagined that it would take this long but I finally got the hatches back from the 2ed powder coaters yesterday and I have the aft hatch mostly assembled. The 1st powder coaters had the hatches for nearly a month before I took them to the 2ed powder coaters. I kept getting the run-around with the 1st coaters and the second powder coaters only baked the hatches for 3.5 hours even after I told them to bake them overnight. They said, "We know. We do marine stuff all the time." ...So, there are bubbles in the finish but not bad in my opinion and they certainly look a lot better than before.
I didn't make a mess on the glazing (Dow 795 - thanks Ed) but I could have done a better job. You can see a wavy pattern of the sealant through the Lexan. Maybe the forward hatch will be better. I'll tackle that tomorrow.
Another thing to note was that the original Lexan had cracks at nearly every screw hole and this is where some of the leaking came from. I went with the Dow 795 sealant without replacing the screws as mentioned on this forum in other hatch threads.
I think the hardest/riskiest part of this project was removing the hinge pins without breaking the hatch. Dealing with powder coaters is not cost/risk free either. I think the cost (expense and time) of refurbishing these Bomar hatches is about the same as installing replacement hatches. However, these are the originals and they're great hatches too.
Thanks to all of the contributors of the prior hatch threads in this forum as well as Dolce_Vita, Alma and others on this thread - Made my hatch project possible. This website is a great asset for us Pearson guys/gals.
-Mike
m_boone:
Question: I was thinking of installing the aft hatch backwards so that it opens from astern. Because of the boom's rigging, it would be easier to open from the rear of the boat. Why did Pearson install facing forward? Do you folks see any reason not to install backwards?
Dolce_Vita:
When at anchor, you want it facing fwd to get the max ventilation. Acts like a wind scoop. Unfortunately, this interferes with a boom vang if you install one. Many people have flipped it for that reason.
m_boone:
--- Quote from: Dolce_Vita on September 06, 2020, 10:12:04 AM ---When at anchor, you want it facing fwd to get the max ventilation. Acts like a wind scoop. Unfortunately, this interferes with a boom vang if you install one. Many people have flipped it for that reason.
--- End quote ---
Thanks Ed. Blue Sky has a boom vang so I'll be putting it in backwards.
-Mike
Dolce_Vita:
We were just out on Dolce Vita this weekend for the first time this season!
After 8 years since doing our hatches, they are still leak-free. The frames still look great, but 8 years of UV exposure has fogged the Lexan with micro crazing. This is despite using Lexan that had extra UV and anti-scratch coatings. I sewed up some covers for them, something I should have done in the beginning. You might want to do that now to keep them looking crystal clear as long as possible.
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