Cabin sliding hatch--horrible screetching noise--found prob.

[bscott]

We did some major cleaning and found lots of dirt in the hatch that we cleaned out. Now, instead of being hard to open, it opens easilly but gives out a loud screetch. It almost looks like the top fiberglass in the runner has spread out. Any suggestions how to have a quiet hatch again

Bob

[Chinook]

The good news is, this can be fixed. Bad news is, it's a real pain to do. The problem, at least on our boat, was due to the foreard edge of the sliding hatch cover rubbing on the non-skid surface of the cabin roof. If you look closely there while the hatch is slid back and forth, you'll probably see the gap reduce down until it rubs on the cabin roof. That's the problem. The fix involves removing the hatch cover and filing or grinding down the offending edge on the hatch cover. Other posts have described the process of removing the hatch cover. Doable, but much work. Good luck.

[Graham Carr]

Hi Bob
My 02 X had the same problem. To stop the screech, just grind down the front (forward edge). Just look at the front lower edge as you open the hatch and you’ll see were it needs to be trimmed. I did mine in place with a roto-zip with a grinder attachment. Once you find the points were contact is made, lay a pencil on the deck and scribe the cut line. Now close the hatch, this will give you enough room to run the small drum grinder. Lay a small piece of step flashing on the deck for protection. You can find step flashing at Home Depot in the roofing section and you can buy just one piece. This is just a thin small piece of sheet metal. If you would like, your welcome to bring your boat to Longmont and I’ll help you, if you do not have a Roto-Zip tool. We would have to do this before next Friday 8/29/08 because I am going out of state and will be gone for about 4 months. We could also do this after I return home, Just send me a PM if you would like to do this.

Graham

[Don T]

OR............
If the feet pads on the hatch are worn significantly (usual cause for sudden contact when there was none before), you can add a fold of the felt half of velcro to the feet (4 each side). You gain clearance and SMOOOOOOOOOOOTH hatch movement. It does require the hatch to be removed which entails removing one of the retainer strips.

[bscott]

Thanks Graham, sent you a PM.

Don T, is the retaining strip thru bolted or merely screwed down?

Thanks,

Bob

[TonyHouk]

Bob and others,
It is through bolted. Looked under the hatch for the white plugs. You might be able to get away with jut removing some of them. I started removing the bolts from the back and forced the hatch off softly when I was able to. Make sure that you have some type of sealant when you do this to put it back together if you are going to remove the hatch. I removed the hatch to do something else. For the screech I just used a file and sandpaper to remove the "low" spot. You will see the low spot on the top of the boat. have fun, Tony

[Duane Dunn, Allegro]

I did mine with the hatch in place with no problems. I used a sanding drum on a dremel tool. Place a masking tape line across the face about 1/8" - 1/4" above the current edge so you get a nice target line to cut to. The sanding drum will cut it down easily and with the hatch slid partially forward you have plenty of access room. You'll get a lot of dust mess but the whole project took about 15 minutes.

[bscott]

Thanks guys---I will bring my generator to the slip and Dremel away.

Bob

[2BonC]

Because my sliding hatch gave to much resistance when opened I sprayed some Teflon spray on the sliding surfaces. Now the hatch is easyly to be opened.
Might be that Teflon spray is also adequate to reduce the noise. It´s only a little effort to be tried out.

[Don T]

Hello,
The retainer strip is held down with #10x32 screws and nylock nuts w/ washers. Easy 2 handed job.

I'm not a fan of lubricating the hatch track, it slides too easily when I'm up there handling the main. Keep it flushed with fresh water for easy sliding and to minimize wear.

If you are going to relieve the forward edge, don't remove too much. Wind will blow water through the gap easier the bigger it gets.

[Frank C]

Sounds as if your problem was grit, grime and sand under the side rails, and once removed the hatch is scraping the cabintop. Rather than grinding on the hatch itself, consider Don's suggestion of adding felt "feet" under the hatch's sliding edges. At least, for the 26-X hatch, it's really NOT necessary to remove either side rail.

• You can remove the hatch by kneeling on cabintop and just pushing sideways on the hatch. Bending it about 2 inches will reveal the edge from under the side rail.
• Another approach used by many, just PULL the hatch aft so it slides right out from under the rails. There is a raised lip on the cabintop to prevent the aftward slide. But stand in the cabin pushing up on the hatch while a helper pulls aft from the cockpit. You can easily clear the raised lip.
• You can use the fuzzy side of heavy-duty 2" velcro as the "feet." Once removed, use a 4-inch long strip of the fuzz to wrap the edge of the hatch, starting on the bottom and continuing around the edge and over the top.
• Even if the 26M's hatch is unlike the X, you'll easily see a no-brainer approach to quieting the slider.

Wrap the hatch in at least 4 places at the fore & aft corners ... I added another strip at center-hatch on both sides, so that made for six "velcro sliders" under the hatch. They help to push grit and grime along the slide surface. They'll probably also lift your hatch enough to make unnecessary any cutting of that forward edge. As a last resort, rather than cutting the forward edge, I'd wrap a seventh velcro slider around the center of that fore-edge.

[ALX357]

I was able to get the hatch silenced and end the rub wear between the hatch rails and cabin top - by applying thick self-adhesive round felt pads to the front and rear of the hatch rail contact surfaces. Without removing the hatch at all, just clean out the crud from the rails, clean and dry the underside of the hatch's rails' bearing / sliding surfaces, and lifting the hatch as much as possible, then with the sticky-backed round felt pad held on the very tip of a thin knife, slide it under the hatch rail surface as faer as you can, and press it hard, then pull the knife point off. Done at the front and rear of each rail, it raises the hatch's front edge just enough to clear the cabin top without rubbing there, as Frank described, and stops the grinding wear between the two gelcoated surfaces where the hatch slides. 'Have to replace the pads maybe once a year, and keep the track cleaned out to maintain smooth slide action. But you will not have to remove the hatch at all.

Buy the gray round dots self-adhesive thick felt pads at Lowes Depot. Use four now and have enough to replace for the next couple of times.

[Hamin' X]

Rather than grinding on the hatch itself, consider Don's suggestion of adding felt "feet" under the hatch's sliding edges.

You can use the fuzzy side of heavy-duty 2" velcro as the "feet." Once removed, use a 4-inch long strip of the fuzz to wrap the edge of the hatch, starting on the bottom and continuing around the edge and over the top.

Just remember that the white Velcro is not as fast as the blue Velcro.

~Rich

[bscott]

Turns out that the forward cross section of the hatch was scratching the body. Sanded the edge and the noise went away.

Bob

[Graham Carr]

Hi Bob
FYI, PM did not show up, cna you try again?
Graham