Rick, I may take on the same project on my '73 25 Mk1 next spring. According to A&H what I have is the "old style" XR200, which is a 20" square hatch. My existing hatch doesn't leak, not under the frame, not under the acrylic But the acrylic is badly crazed and the latches (threaded knobs) are missing. Replacement hardware is no longer available for this hatch, and I've had no luck at marine consignment shops after 5 years of looking. I've jury-rigged some latches. So I guess you could say this project is primarily to improve the appearance of the hatch.
I recently salvaged '74 25 Mk1 hull #301 and took the hatch among other things. My experience was the same: screws came out easily, frame required some prying with a putty knife, sealant appeared to be butyl. According to A&H this is the newer style XR200. As you said below the different generations of A&H hatches don't use the same hardware, hinges or frame. A&H even said there is a 1/8" or 1/4" difference in the overall size. The hatch from the salvage boat is complete with all the hardware, but the acrylic is badly crazed. On this hatch, the acrylic is screwed to the frame in 8 places. I assume this is a previous acrylic replacement. There is also evidence it leaked under the acrylic as a previous owner applied lots of additional sealant. I've got quotes from Select Plastics and Hammerhead Nautical to refurb the salvage hatch, or should I say, to replace the acrylic. Has anyone attempted to reanodize or paint the frame? What was your experience reinstalling the frame? On the salvage boat the frame screws came out easily. I suspect they were screwed directly into a soggy balsa core. If it's the same on my boat, I'm thinking I may have to do a core repair before I can reinstall the hatch. (I replaced the chainplates last year and that turned into a significant core repair.) Did you have to do a core repair? Did you fill the existing holes and drill new ones? Is thru-bolting an option? I'm concerned I may not get enough compression on the seal without thru-bolts. If it wasn't for the missing hardware, I'd keep the existing hatch and replace the acrylic - either on the boat or by just removing the top of the hatch at the hinge Mark ----- Original Message ----- From: Rick Brass <rickbr...@earthlink.net> To: cnc-list@cnc-list.com Sent: Sat, 10 Nov 2012 16:11:26 -0000 (UTC) Subject: Re: Stus-List deck hatch leak Imzadi had the original 27” square A&H hatch on the foredeck. I Had bought a used hatch some time ago, and planned to refurb that hatch and install it on the existing frame (which did not leak). So my first question is why pull the frame if it isn’t leaking and you are planning to refurbish/reseal the lens in the hatch? For me, it turned out that there are older and newer style A&H hatches and that the hinge arrangement is different enough that my refurbished hatch would not fit the existing frame. I took out all of the screws holding the hatch down and tried to lift the frame – no joy. The hatch frame was bedded with gray butyl (I scraped a small sample from under the edge to determine what the sealant was), but boy was it tenacious. Finally forced a putty knife between the frame and deck in several places to break the seal, and used a wide pry bar as a lever the frame off the deck. My point is that the sealant could be butyl. And, of course, the second point is that when you reinstall the frame DO NOT use 5200. Rick BrassWashington, NC
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