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I've been trying to solve an issue with the hatch seals/gaskets on my sort of new to me (my parents bought this boat new when I was 5) 1984 F32. We've always had issues with the foam seals wandering after being replaced. They remain water tight for about a season, then drift and become ineffective.
I finally decided to add aluminum U channel to the hatches to accept the seals and prevent wandering. It's only been a few weeks but I'm very happy with the results. For anyone else interested in doing the same I thought I'd document the process here.
Parts:
24 ft Aluminum Satin Anodized 1-1/6" U-Channel - Amazon
25 ft Water-Resistant Closed Cell Foam Strip, Neoprene-EPDM-SBR, 3/4" Thick, 1" W X 25 ft. L, Black - Grainger
24 Barrel Nuts (8 for each hatch, length less than or equal to hatch thickness, 1/2" in my case) - West Marine
24 pan head screws to match your barrel nuts
24 rubber washers to match your barrel nuts (I cheap-ed out and bought some rubber washers from Home Depot and drilled them out to fit)
Determining the length of cut for the U channel sides took some measuring and If I did this again I'd go about it differently so I won't share the measurements here. If you do attempt this project measure the inside of your hatch opening and use that measurement for the short sides of your mitered u-channel.
One thing I discovered, is that the foam seal contracts longitudinally after removing the paper from the tape. Measure and cut your seals 1 or 1.5 inches longer than needed to avoid gaps.
Now for the reveal!
Joel
1984 F32 "Second Course"
Belle Maer Harbor, Harrison Township, MI
1983 10 Meter SOLD after 21 years of adventures
Yanmar diesels
Solid Glass Hull
Woodless Stringers
Full Hull Liner
Survived Andrew Cat 5,Eye of Charley Cat 4, & Irma Cat 2
Trojan International Website: http://trojanboat.com/
Here's a pic of the dimensions for the u-channel in case that Amazon link doesn't stand the test of time. I also forgot to add that I decided not to seal the mating surfaces between the aluminum and plastic hatch but may do so in the future. I plan on using 3M Fast Cure 4000 UV for its bonding strength to both plastics and metals.
Attachments
u-channel.jpg (8.8 KiB) Viewed 6487 times
Joel
1984 F32 "Second Course"
Belle Maer Harbor, Harrison Township, MI
