HATCH COVERS IN BERTH

The small screw in place with "O" ring plastic hatch, if properly sealed is pretty resistant to water intrusion. When you get to the larger hatches such as those with hinges, then you need to go the the Aluminum and rather expensive hatches, with multiple dogs and good gaskets to retain watertight intregrity.
 
I thought this was a good idea when I first started reading the posts and now I'm convinced even if the only reason is to ensure that you don't have water infiltrating somewhere.

Having just bought my second hand 22 Cruiser I am in the process of "tearing it apart" and fixing all her "issues".

One thing I discovered was water in the v-berth hatch where the thru-hull fittings are for the toilet (still permitted here). Can't tell yet whether the thru-hull fittings were leaking (boat is on land) or whether the capless anchor chain fitting is the culprit (rain) but I crossing things off the list as I go.

But it has been leaking for a while judging by the discoloration of the foam.

I have the dehumidifier running in the cabin full tilt to try and try out the foam as we speak.

I have to believe that if there were storage lockers here instead of foam someone would have (??) discovered this sooner.

Perhaps this will be next seasons project :D as I have my hands full right now!!!

Peter
Bermuda
 
Just received 3 hatches, cut the holes and am removing the foam.

Confirming that my 1989 22 Cruiser has the foam, and it is a real tough and nasty job getting it out.

There is a major amount of wasted space that I will be glad to have.

Tex
 
Hello Tex -
Did you go with the same hatches others have used (listed below)?
I am about to order hatches and tackle this myself.
Thanks,
CH

From previous posts:
Port and starboard side hatches: So-Pac Access Hatch SPA-30205
with 13 3/4" x 23 2/4" OD, 9 3/4" x 19 1/2" ID from Defender
Forward hatch from Innovative Product Solutions (500135) and has an outside diameter of 13"x17".
 
starcrafttom":1jrv4vjf said:
for removing foam. bread knife and shop vac. just slice and dice and vacum up the little stuff as you go.
Click to expand...

Yup, and I've found that an electric carving knife (Like a Sunbeam with two alternating direction blades) is a great tool to cut certain types of soft things like foam rubber, but have never tried it on rigid foam, such as that in the boat.

It can be messy, making fine sawdust like debris, but will work in places you can't use a reciprocating blade, rotozip,or die grinder with a cutoff wheel.

OK GUYS: Boat Fenders in the dishwasher + Electric Carving Knife in the V-Berth, what's next? Warring Blender to mix epoxy? :smile

Joe. :teeth :thup
 
Careful where you cut up there. On the 2005 25 the water tank is directly in front of the wall in the center. (If you stored a porta potti in the recess, right behind that forward wall.
 
I too purchased tempress, same size, found them on ebay for $48. Although this is a simple job, it is not easy. My tools of choice have been a 12" pruning saw and a claw hammer. The claws really knock out the big chunks. I haven't tried completely cleaning the hull sides yet. Thought I would take a palm sander to it and see how that goes. I planned on doing both of them in a day, which was a serious miscalculation. More like a day apiece.
 
I once used a cake batter mixing head in a cordless drill to mix paint. Forgot to clean it and susan found it. She no longer yells, just shakes her head.
 
Another tool I found useful when I removed the foam in my boat was a wire brush. After getting as much foam out as I could I used the brush to dislodge what remained from the fiberglass then I vacumed up the dust. I also painted the hull with some semi gloss to make wiping it out with a sponge easier. I think the project is a good improvement on the C-Dory's.

Rich
 
I thought about the wire brush but have to replace the one I lost. One other thing to watch for is those screws hiding in there. I got a nasty cut from one of them. Was also wondering how toxic all that foam dust is. I didn't use a mask or respirator.
 
Sea Wolf":rx5m80to said:
...but will work in places you can't use a reciprocating blade, rotozip,or die grinder with a cutoff wheel.
Click to expand...
I was planning to use my Ridgid reciprocating saw - is there a reason why that wouldn't work?
 
You might find there isn't room for much of a power tool. But you are probably thinking of using it to cut the opening, should work good for that. I used a cheap jigsaw.
 
centerisland":13v5g5ye said:
Sea Wolf":13v5g5ye said:
...but will work in places you can't use a reciprocating blade, rotozip,or die grinder with a cutoff wheel.
Click to expand...
I was planning to use my Ridgid reciprocating saw - is there a reason why that wouldn't work?
Click to expand...

centrisland-

Don't know; I haven't tried it, if you're referring to the foam.

Sorry! Joe.
 
starcrafttom":3e55v8ne said:
I once used a cake batter mixing head in a cordless drill to mix paint. Forgot to clean it and susan found it. She no longer yells, just shakes her head.
Click to expand...

Tom-

How about using Susan's kitchen's main oven to bake on powder coating paint onto a prop? :idea

:hug :cry :hug2 = :amgry :female :unlove :smileo :xseek :bat

Joe. :teeth :thup
 
lloyds":2pbvs5t7 said:
You might find there isn't room for much of a power tool. But you are probably thinking of using it to cut the opening, should work good for that. I used a cheap jigsaw.
Click to expand...
Actually, I was planning to use a jigsaw for the opening, and using larger hatches (30" long per starcrafttom), but I can see that if you use smaller hatches it would be difficult to maneuver.
 
Two questions for those removing foam:

1. How much danger is there of cutting into the hull itself when whaling away on the foam?

2. Are you removing all of the foam or just carving a compartment into the foam?

Thanks.
Warren
 
Noticed two issues about breaking into the berth floor: checking for moisture and creating more storage. Now that the Marinault has surfaced with its side tanks, I'm more apt to put my energy and costs into gettng custom tanks fitted beneath the gunwales on both sides (haven't found how to attach them yet) and getting those blasted batteries down on the sole where they belong plus creating mucho new space for more storage after jerking those gas tanks under the well and cleaning up all the gunk that manages to get behind them.

A thought about the installing of hatches below the mattress. Which is more work, lifting the stiff mattress up high enough to lift the hatch cover up and reaching down to grab stuff, or....moving the porta potti forward to access a hatch which is vertically located on the end? Seems that cutting into that area would hurt nothing, and one could scoop out a big area ahead, enough to shove stuff into. Storage and checking for moisture in an area that is a whole lot more accessible than a hatch below the mattress - that makes more sense to me. But then I lost my flexibility a long time ago. Food for thought folks. If you already did the under the mattress contortionist thing already. OK. You can still do the end entrance and I'll wager which system you will use 99% of the time.

John
 
Yellowstone":2sg1uxx8 said:
<stuff clipped>Now that the Marinault has surfaced with its side tanks, I'm more apt to put my energy and costs into gettng custom tanks fitted beneath the gunwales on both sides (haven't found how to attach them yet) and getting those blasted batteries down on the sole where they belong plus creating mucho new space for more storage after jerking those gas tanks under the well and cleaning up all the gunk that manages to get behind them.
<more stuff clipped>

John
Click to expand...

On my 22, I rather liked that the batteries were up off the sole. My logic was that I wanted the battery terminal high off the floor to keep them out of salt water if water came over the back. It seems to me that the source of power for the bilge pumps should be protected as much as possible.
 
Back
Top