deck hatches

Nigel wrote:

> I need to buy a new deck hatch. The choice seems to be either a Lewmar 60
> or a Houdini super 50 foredeck hatch.

There's also Gebo. I've recently replaced a Lewmar 60 (I think it's a
60 - approx hole size 50x50cm) with a Gebo from Seateach for £237.

> They are both the same size (they're both the same size)

Something tells me they might be the same size.

> The Lewmar has Perspex (12mm I think) and the Houdini
> 6mm toughen glass. Houdini are a lot cheaper

My Lewmar was of the older "roll-stop" design. I replaced it because
the perspex had cracked, as a result of the Lewmar's design feature
that the click-stops only go as far as 90 degrees. If you push open
beyond straight-up, it just falls fully open, unbraked, onto whatever
happens to be lying on deck at the time, such as the anchor.

You can have my broken Lewmar if you like, and if you want to see if
you can pop the perspex out of its frame and source a replacement, and
drill holes for the handles and transfer them.

You can have it for £0 plus postage.
 >> Stay informed about: deck hatches 

Nigel wrote:
> I need to buy a new deck hatch. The choice seems to be either a Lewmar 60 or
> a Houdini super 50 foredeck hatch. They are both the same size (they're
> both the same size) The Lewmar has Perspex (12mm I think) and the Houdini
> 6mm toughen glass. Houdini are a lot cheaper and I quite like the idea of
> toughened glass, but is toughened glass likely to shatter into little
> squares if it's walloped by a clew or similar object
>
>
Yes. Glass breaks, perspex scratches and goes foggy. That's the choice.
 >> Stay informed about: deck hatches 

"Jim Conlin" <conlin.DeleteThis@comcast.net> wrote in message
news:JqidnULPXqJV9ebeRVn-pA@comcast.com...
> If reglazing an existing hatch is an option, i'd strongly favor reglazing
> with polycarbonate (such as Lexan). It won't weather as well as acrylic
> or
> glass but it will be much less likely to fail in an impact. For a deck
> hatch, where failure might endanger the vessel, i'd put safety first.

It's slightly off topic, but I carry some plywood cut-outs to act as
emergency hatch closers in the event of a hatch or window breaking while at
sea. As you say, a hatch failure could threaten the boat and it could be
difficult to make one up in a hurry when offshore. It also means you always
have a useful bit of ply around if needed for other things, and they're easy
to stow as they are small and flat enough to sit at the bottom of a locker.
 >> Stay informed about: deck hatches 

Duncan Heenan wrote:
> "Jim Conlin" <conlin.TakeThisOut@comcast.net> wrote

>> For a deck hatch, where failure might endanger the vessel, i'd put
>> safety first.

> It's slightly off topic, but I carry some plywood cut-outs to act as
> emergency hatch closers in the event of a hatch or window breaking

How would you fix the forehatch board in place if the glass/perspex were
to break?

Pete
 >> Stay informed about: deck hatches 

"Pete Verdon" <usenet.TakeThisOut@verdonet.organisation.unitedkingdom.invalid> wrote in
message news:3u1p17Fv0rr3U1@individual.net...
> Duncan Heenan wrote:
>> "Jim Conlin" <conlin.TakeThisOut@comcast.net> wrote
>
>>> For a deck hatch, where failure might endanger the vessel, i'd put
>>> safety first.
>
>> It's slightly off topic, but I carry some plywood cut-outs to act as
>> emergency hatch closers in the event of a hatch or window breaking
>
> How would you fix the forehatch board in place if the glass/perspex were
> to break?
>
> Pete
Mine are fashioned on the assumption that the whole of the hinged opening
part, frame and all, has gone (or is folded flat), and simply blanks off the
opening.
 >> Stay informed about: deck hatches 

Duncan Heenan wrote:
> "Pete Verdon" <usenet.TakeThisOut@verdonet.organisation.unitedkingdom.invalid> wrote

>>How would you fix the forehatch board in place if the glass/perspex were
>>to break?

> Mine are fashioned on the assumption that the whole of the hinged opening
> part, frame and all, has gone (or is folded flat), and simply blanks off the
> opening.

Right, but how do you plan to secure it in place?

I'm not trying to nitpick, by the way, I'm just curious.

Pete
 >> Stay informed about: deck hatches 

Duncan Heenan wrote:
> "Jim Conlin" <conlin RemoveThis @comcast.net> wrote in message
> news:JqidnULPXqJV9ebeRVn-pA@comcast.com...
>
>>If reglazing an existing hatch is an option, i'd strongly favor reglazing
>>with polycarbonate (such as Lexan). It won't weather as well as acrylic
>>or
>>glass but it will be much less likely to fail in an impact. For a deck
>>hatch, where failure might endanger the vessel, i'd put safety first.
>
>
> It's slightly off topic, but I carry some plywood cut-outs to act as
> emergency hatch closers in the event of a hatch or window breaking while at
> sea. As you say, a hatch failure could threaten the boat and it could be
> difficult to make one up in a hurry when offshore. It also means you always
> have a useful bit of ply around if needed for other things, and they're easy
> to stow as they are small and flat enough to sit at the bottom of a locker.
>
>
>
Good idea!
 >> Stay informed about: deck hatches 

Nigel,
Houdini sells these with polycarbonate as well, but they are junk. If all
you want to do is stay tied up, they are probably OK. I dropped 1500 pounds
Sterling on 2 companionway hatches a while back. These were sliders. No
matter how I installed them, they stuck and would never slide well. They
scratched and they leaked. I threw them away in the end and designed and
built my own out of stainless and armor glass.

Please do not confuse the different categories of glass. There are many and
they go by different names in different countries. Automotive glass in the
UK is called toughened glass. This glass is heat treated and cooled quickly.
This leaves the glass very hard and highly stressed. This is the wrong stuff
to use as hatches. It is also called plate glass. In the UK the glass you
need is armor glass. This glass is also heat treated but the process used
causes the glass to be stress relieved and it is delivered in an annealed
state. It is most commonly laminated with plastic in between panes of glass
for bullet proofing. It can be found up to 12mm thick. I use it 10mm thick
unlaminated. It is very scratch resistant. It doesn't fade and you can
literally beat on it with a hammer and bow it under severe load and it
doesn't break. It is the best, but it isn't cheap.

One responder mentioned Gebo Hatches. Even though they are made in France,
they are very good. I have 13 in use. They do not leak and parts are readily
available.
Steve


"Nigel" <jassira53 RemoveThis @hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:437b22db$0$349$da0feed9@news.zen.co.uk...
>I need to buy a new deck hatch. The choice seems to be either a Lewmar 60
>or a Houdini super 50 foredeck hatch. They are both the same size (they're
>both the same size) The Lewmar has Perspex (12mm I think) and the Houdini
>6mm toughen glass. Houdini are a lot cheaper and I quite like the idea of
>toughened glass, but is toughened glass likely to shatter into little
>squares if it's walloped by a clew or similar object
>
 >> Stay informed about: deck hatches 

Pete Verdon wrote:
> Duncan Heenan wrote:
>
>> "Pete Verdon" <usenet DeleteThis @verdonet.organisation.unitedkingdom.invalid> wrote
>
>
>>> How would you fix the forehatch board in place if the glass/perspex
>>> were to break?
>
>
>> Mine are fashioned on the assumption that the whole of the hinged
>> opening part, frame and all, has gone (or is folded flat), and simply
>> blanks off the opening.
>
>
> Right, but how do you plan to secure it in place?
>
> I'm not trying to nitpick, by the way, I'm just curious.
>
> Pete
The way we do it with portlight emergency covers is with a long bolt (or
two) and a wing nut reaching inside to a wooden bar that goes across the
hole like a damage control plate.
 >> Stay informed about: deck hatches 

On Thu, 17 Nov 2005 02:13:09 UTC, "Roger Derby"
<derbyrm.RemoveThis@earthlink.net> wrote:

> The heat treated and pre-stressed stuff for automobiles is "tempered" glass.

That's what we call "toughened" over here - it can be either heat
toughened or chemically toughened.

ian
 >> Stay informed about: deck hatches 

"Pete Verdon" <usenet.TakeThisOut@verdonet.organisation.unitedkingdom.invalid> wrote in
message news:3u1q3fFqvdnuU1@individual.net...
> Duncan Heenan wrote:
>> "Pete Verdon" <usenet.TakeThisOut@verdonet.organisation.unitedkingdom.invalid> wrote
>
>>>How would you fix the forehatch board in place if the glass/perspex were
>>>to break?
>
>> Mine are fashioned on the assumption that the whole of the hinged opening
>> part, frame and all, has gone (or is folded flat), and simply blanks off
>> the opening.
>
> Right, but how do you plan to secure it in place?
>
> I'm not trying to nitpick, by the way, I'm just curious.

I have a small fitment on the inside to which a cord can be attached to lash
it down on to something inside the cabin. It is only ever intended as a
short term emergency thing and so aesthetics don't really matter.
 >> Stay informed about: deck hatches 

On Thu, 17 Nov 2005 02:13:09 GMT, "Roger Derby"
<derbyrm RemoveThis @earthlink.net> wrote:

>Terms here in the colonies are somewhat different.
>
>Plate glass is made by flowing the molten glass onto a (preheated) iron
>slab. It is the truest, flattest, available; but hasn't been made for
>decades. What one gets now is "float glass" made by flowing the glass onto
>a (shallow) puddle of mercury. It's almost as flat, but not optical grade.
>
Float glass is floated on molten tin.
Much flatter than the most part of pre-float stuff.

Brian Whatcott Altus OK
 >> Stay informed about: deck hatches