Gary, a word of caution.
I replaced the seal on my A&H hatch (on my old C&C 24) and I had some problems. I got the seal straight from A&H, including the adhesive. However, the diameter was too small. When I installed it, the hatch did not seal completely, specifically along the edge close to the hinges (the seal was not squeezed enough). I went one size bigger (I don’t remember what it was, if I remember correctly, I went from 3/8 to 1/2 (or from 1/2 to 5/8)). That did the trick. The unfortunate part was that I prepare that grove really well the first time around and then I had to clean it again. And it was a pain, because the adhesive held so well. I almost wish I did a poor job the first time. Btw. my hatch did not have a grove (and the seal) on the lens, only on the frame (attached to the deck). The lens had no frame, it was a simple piece of acrylic with holes for handles and hinges. It is possible that the PO replaced it a while before. Marek ------------------------------ Message: 7 Date: Tue, 11 Feb 2014 10:39:25 -0500 From: "Rick Brass" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Subject: Re: Stus-List C&C 30 MK1 forward hatch replacement Message-ID: <01b501cf273f$71f22030$55d66090$@net> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Gary; As Fred said, it is probably and A&H hatch and somewhat expensive to replace or to have rebuilt by A&H. I believe there are less expensive alternatives for rebuilding it, but someone on the list will need to comment. I have rebuilt two of the hatches (a big one on my 38 and a smaller one on my 25) on my own. Relatively inexpensive (around $350-400 for materials) but it was a lot of persnickety work to remove old sealant and properly install the new lens and seals. I'd actually not recommend doing it unless you have time and patience. Your message seems to imply that what you really need to do is replace the seal between the hatch and the frame mounted to the deck. THAT is both easy and cheap. My two hatches both had a seal with a round gasket material glued into a round channel in the underside of the frame around the lens. I can't recall if it was 1/2' or 3/4" diameter. The seal material is a dense neoprene. You might be able to buy it at your local LOWES, but any glass company that installs commercial windows and many companies that install automotive windshields will have the stuff. I think it is called "breaker bead" by the glass companies and it is the seal typically used in the frame around the plate glass windows in stores and commercial buildings. A 20 foot length of the stuff is somewhere around $20. Take the lens frame off the boat so you can put it upside down on a workbench. Then scrape the old seal out of the channel in the lens frame. I took a metal putty knife and rounded it on my grinder, which helped to remove the rubber and the adhesive under it pretty well. Then sand the channel in the frame to remove all the old adhesive and to give some "tooth" to the aluminum for the new adhesive to stick. I wiped thae channel down a couple times with 3M adhesive remover, but I suspect acetone would have worked too. Now that you have a really clean channel in the lens frame, you are ready to put adhesive in the channel to hold the seal. I used 3M automotive trim adhesive - stuff that is called "Gorilla snot" by the folks that work in body shops. You will see why if you use it, and not another adhesive. A tube (like a 10 oz toothpaste tube) of the stuff is bout $12, IIRC. Apply a thin coat of adhesive to the inside of the channel, making sure you spread it to get complete coverage from edge to edge. It will dry and become tacky in a couple of minutes. Have your seal cut to length, with the ends smooth and fastidiously square to the centerline of the rod. I dry fit mine into the channel before applying adhesive and cut the seal with about an inch of overlap at the ends. To install the new seal start by laying the first couple of inches of one end into the channel in the middle of what will be the back of the hatch. That will let water flow away from the joine and around the seal once the lens in back in place. Press it in place and you should get a good bond. Now put the rest of the seal into the channel, and as you go try to be sure you don't stretch the seal. You actually want to apply gentle pressure back in the direction from which you are coming so you compress the material slightly - when you get back to the place where you started you want the ends to match up and to be push against each other for a tight joint. When you make the fourth corner and have about 5 or 6" of seal yet to install, put a little dab of adhesive on the end of the seal material and let it cure for a minute. Then put the last bit of seal into the channel with the two ends tightly together. Reinstall the lens to the hatch frame and "Bob's your uncle" you have a new seal that should last another 20 years. Rick Brass Imzadi -1976 C&C 38 mk1 la Belle Aurore -1975 C&C 25 mk1 Washington, NC
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