FROM AARON, AFT HATCH SEAL QUESTION

aaronbocknek · Post by **aaronbocknek** » Tue Dec 21, 2010 5:13 am

morning folks. hope this finds you all well. i have a question for those of you that have a tri cabin with the small 'window exit' above the aft cabin (flush deck tri cabin owners that is). the escape hatch has had it's weather seal redone by the previous owners and the hatch does not sit flush against the superstructure. this is on my list of things to do in the spring but i'm curious as to what type of seal this hatch is supposed to have. the current seal is a double layer of grey weather stripping but is getting brittle. if anyone has had this hatch out and can provide pics of the way it is seated in the superstructure i'd would greatly appreciate it. i've tried on numerous attempts to contact beacon about the exact seal, but have had no luck at all. it's time to take the bull by the horns and do it myself. phil wants to remove the hatch, take off the old weather stripping and place the hatch back on the supersturcture and fill the void with caulk. i'm not too keen on that. any suggestions?
thanks.
aaron in baltimore

k9th · Post by **k9th** » Tue Dec 21, 2010 5:32 am

Hi Aaron -

I tried to contact Beacon about that seal and had no luck either. When I bought mine it had a rubber strip seal that went all the way around and filled the cavity pretty well. The problem was that it leaked a little. I tried to replace it with all different types of rubber seals and none worked. I tried soft rubber, medium rubber, sponge-type weather seal - nothing worked. One day I got an idea to try an inner-tube from a bicycle figuring I could stretch it enough to get it on and then inflate it. It worked. I used a 29" bicycle tire tube and brought the stem out at the bottom so I could inflate from the inside. Once I knew it sealed, I deflated it and glued it to the cavity in the door so that in case I had to use the escape hatch in an emergency it would not fall off and get in the way.

Allen Sr · Post by **Allen Sr** » Tue Dec 21, 2010 5:39 am

k9th wrote:Hi Aaron -

I tried to contact Beacon about that seal and had no luck either. When I bought mine it had a rubber strip seal that went all the way around and filled the cavity pretty well. The problem was that it leaked a little. I tried to replace it with all different types of rubber seals and none worked. I tried soft rubber, medium rubber, sponge-type weather seal - nothing worked. One day I got an idea to try an inner-tube from a bicycle figuring I could stretch it enough to get it on and then inflate it. It worked. I used a 29" bicycle tire tube and brought the stem out at the bottom so I could inflate from the inside. Once I knew it sealed, I deflated it and glued it to the cavity in the door so that in case I had to use the escape hatch in an emergency it would not fall off and get in the way.

Sounds like necessity was the mother of invention on yours! I've read in prior posts that your better off to call Beacon Marine not trying to get them by e-mail. I know I haven't been any help here, sorry. Good luck Aaron, as always if you need help just call.

prowlersfish · Post by **prowlersfish** » Tue Dec 21, 2010 6:50 am

How about the hatch manufacturer ? of course the fun part is finding out who made them . perhaps Bob or John leeds could tell you .

aaronbocknek · Post by **aaronbocknek** » Tue Dec 21, 2010 1:33 pm

prowlersfish wrote:How about the hatch manufacturer ? of course the fun part is finding out who made them . perhaps Bob or John leeds could tell you .

if only it were that simple paul. this 'door exit/hatch' was something that trojan actually fabricated and used. the hatch is kept tight against the superstructure using 4 perko hatch fastener and windshield keepers. ( http://www.perko.com/catalog/category/d ... oduct/323/)

the 'hatch' is placed, i think, on a raised piece of fiberglass, the weather stripping was either orginally placed on this or on the hatch itself. the whole assembly is then placed into the opening and locked down using these latches. ideally, if i had the funds, i would have a boat yard cover this up and put in a large opening bowmar hatch. as for getting intouch with bob or john, neither venture has been successful. in addition to the aft hatch, i'd like to replace the window seals that are on the salon windows. a unique shape and style, i've asked about this too, but again, no such luck with getting any answers.

k9th---- your solution of the innertube is unique. actually, this is similar to an aircraft exit door seal that is inflated once the cabin is pressurized, thus forming a seal. when the weather gets warmer, i'd love to see some pictures how you did this.

allen---thank you for your offer of assistance. i really appreciate it and i just might take you up on the offer. just be mindful that i could get totally frustrated over this while we are working on it and i might utter a few expletives.

for now, knock on wood, the hatch is not leaking, it just looks a bit off being not flush with the rest of the aft superstructure. since it is not leaking, i guess the better part of 'busy work' is to leave well enough alone for now. just something on my punch list.

take care folks, i'm on call until the 26th so who knows where i'll be in a few days.

aaron

rbcool · Post by **rbcool** » Tue Dec 21, 2010 2:58 pm

Aaron..... take a few pics and post them. Your system sounds different that mine. I'm usualy pretty good figuring these things out. If your on your boat afternoon of 26th, I'll be driving through that area.

Ron

k9th · Post by **k9th** » Tue Dec 21, 2010 5:55 pm

Aaron -

My hatch has two hinges on the port side and then the two Perko fasteners on the inside to latch it and it sits totally flush with the surrounding fiberglass.

I remembered the inflated door seals on a couple of planes I was familiar with and I am sure that is what sparked the idea. I will get some photos when I take off the shrink wrap.