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Re: S&G: Fix on poorly cut hatch opening
By:John Messinger
Date: 11/6/2013, 6:17 am
In Response To: S&G: Fix on poorly cut hatch opening (John Faas)

I cut the hole for my rear hatch today. Did not do as good a job as I would have liked.

Any suggestions on a fix??? The rear deck is perfectly flat, boat is Arctic Hawk. I made a fiberglass lip with a grove for the rubber gasket.

I used a metal cutting blade, Would a fine tooth wood blade been easier to handle??

The front hatch is supposed to be in an area that has an arch. I was considering using a screw in hatch under the deck, Not sure how to make it truly water tight if I follow the directions that come with the kit.

How bad is bad? The fix could range from:
1) trueing up the hole and hatch edges with sandpaper and applying thickened epoxy to the edges,
2) to applying wood strips to the edges of the hatch +/or deck and re-glassing the affected areas,
3) to applying a flange and using a Valley cover,
4) to a shop fire.

Got pictures?

For cutting my hatches from the deck I have always used my Bosch saber saw with the finest, thinnest, least aggressive, wood blade available from Bosch. I set the saw on a slow speed and the blade action at the least aggressive setting and take my time. I start the hole with two 1/16" holes drilled close together. I connect the holes to form a slot (to accommodate the saw blade) by angling the drill bit in the wood and using the side of the bit as a rotating file. At the forms I use the little bonsai saw available from CLC.

Messages In This Thread

S&G: Fix on poorly cut hatch opening
John Faas -- 11/6/2013, 1:59 am
Re: S&G: Fix on poorly cut hatch opening
John Messinger -- 11/6/2013, 6:17 am
Re: S&G: Fix on poorly cut hatch opening
John Faas -- 11/6/2013, 10:22 am
Re: S&G: Fix on poorly cut hatch opening
John Messinger -- 11/6/2013, 12:29 pm
Re: S&G: Fix on poorly cut hatch opening
John Messinger -- 11/7/2013, 8:21 am
Re: S&G: Fix on poorly cut hatch opening
John Faas -- 11/7/2013, 11:15 am
Re: S&G: Fix on poorly cut hatch opening
John Messinger -- 11/7/2013, 12:33 pm
Re: S&G: Fix on poorly cut hatch opening
Paul Davies -- 11/7/2013, 2:44 pm
Re: S&G: Fix on poorly cut hatch opening
John Messinger -- 11/7/2013, 4:08 pm