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Companionway hatch removal.

J

jhask

gerald haskins
<div>Have developed a small leak at the forward corner of the
companionway hatch. It looks as though I am going to have to
remove the hatch to gain access to a possible source area.I understand from the newsletter that removing the storm cover is
not a problem. Anyone had experience with removing the limiting block and hatch
itself. Dick
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Dick, If I understand your question correctly, the hatch will simply lift off once the cover is removed. Regarding the "limiting block", there is one small block screwed to the deck which limits forward travel (the hatch bumps into it). And there are two large SS screws at the aft end, one into each end of the teak rails on either side of the hatch, which sets the aft position limit. If your internal security latch doesn't slip easily into locked position, it's these screws that need adjustment.
Hope this is what you were looking for.
 
Dont' know which 38 you have, but I removed the companionway hatch from my Charley 38 with no difficulty. If the hatch cover has screws all the way around, remove all screws. Remove the teak guide rails by drilling out the plugs, unscrew, remove bedding compound. Use the stiffest tool you can find to dig between the hatch cover and the deck to remove or substantially loosen the bedding compound. This is the hardest part of the job, and probably the most important because when you finally feel that you have loosened the compound enough you have to carefully pry the hatch cover up and avoid cracking, breaking or dmaging the lip of the hatch as you pry. If you are not careful you can create stress cracks in the cover where the screws are. Obviously you have to clean all of the old bedding compound off and re-bed the cover and the teak guide rails after your inspection. New bedding will probably stop the leak.
 
Thank's Jim. That's good news. I was hoping the hatch would lift off with out removing anything else but the cover. Dick
 
<div>Jim,I have a 382 and it sounds as if the installation is a little different than that on a C38. I hope so anyway. I don't want to get into the teak removal/rebedding mode just yet. :) Dick
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Oops...what I said about the hatch just lifting off is not quite correct. One or both of the rails on either side of the sliding hatch must also come off. This is not too difficult -- the hardest part being the removal of about 6 teak plugs per rail.
Hope my lapse hasn't caused any problems.
Jim
 
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