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Minor victory


Docpal

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 I realize that this post may not pertain to many (if any) other owners/builders, but since it's taken me SO long to resolve an ongoing issue I thought I'd post it in case anyone else attempts something similar in the future.

When I built Petunia I knew what I wanted on my cabin top: one sliding hatch for the companionway, and a hinged forward hatch. I easily sorted out a solution for the slider and it's HDPE track, but I kept running into a mental block when trying to figure out HOW to put hinges on a curved hatch with deck camber...

Finally I saw someone down at Cedar Key last year who had done something close to what I wanted on a deck that was slightly cambered and it gave me the idea shown in the attached pix. After seeing how much $$$ the local marine stores wanted for paper thin SS tangs I went online and ordered 12" of 1/8" SS flat stock from McMaster Carr. (Since everything else on her is over built,why not the hinges too?) After cutting the piece into desired lengths I used a heavy vise and a small sledge hammer and "persuaded" the SS into the desired angle (17 degrees). I then drilled them and dry fitted everything to the deck. But here is where I got bit in the butt by geometry again. Even though the hinges worked perfectly, the next issue was the fact that since the forward hatch was only 1.25" tall when I opened the hatch the rear edge would not allow me to open it more than 30-40 degrees without pinching. SO I got out the curved violin plane,a rasp,etc. and did sort of a 'hollow' on the rear side of the hatch. This gave me an extra margin of clearance to the point where I can now actually fit myself through the hatch in the event I ever feel that I have to do work at the base of the mast from 'inside'.

I realize that I could have made an "L"shaped tang that connected the hatch to the deck pivot, but I also know that anything sticking up above the plane of the hatch surface would inevitably snag every line that tried to pass across the deck (such as mizzen stay sail sheets) . Now I just need to install the "hatch holder upper" ,make a bug screen drop in, and enjoy the feeling of fresh air below deck....

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Another way to fit to the camber is to make wedge shaped decorative shims for under the hinges.  I had this style hinge with teak deck wedges:  http://www.marine-knowledge.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/alloy-marine-hardware.jpg  Instead of installed flat as in the picture, they went from flat on the deck to vertical on the aft side of the hatch frame.

 

But your way seems to work.  An opening forward, forward hatch is mandatory on a cruising boat.  You can even add a wind scoop if light air evenings are a norm.  Moving air in a boat is a necessary luxury.

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Garry,

 I did think of that but noticed that I'm already impeding the slider's full opening slightly where I am, ( see middle picture above...).  It looks like a trade off as the cabin top is a fixed size so I'm going to have to "split the difference" between the two hatches to get the both of them comfortably functioning. This is one of those by products of self engineering a design on the fly, as compared to having someone think the entire process all the way through before cutting any plywood...

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  • 2 weeks later...

Dropped her in the water today ( watching a 20 ton travel lift move a CS 17 is somewhat comical,but they have no ramp at the marina I'm in...). Got the bronze " hatch holder upper" fitting which I bought 30 years ago at the London boat show installed on the forward hatch. I also got to "repurpose" the old spinnaker block from my previous boat,a 1937- 30 Square meter , and use it as the block for handling my mizzen stay sail. Good, old bronze pieces of gear are like jewelry on a boat....

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