Figured out where to stow the hatch

[mastreb]

Finally figured out a great place to stow the hatch:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/68241682@N07/8063912269/

The mast crutch brackets keep it from moving, the angle seems to fit perfectly, and with my ETEC it stays in place with the motor up or down. Helm seat goes down perfectly and doesn't touch it.

[Crikey]

Nice!
Gonna try that with my Suzuki.

[Ixneigh]

Awesom Mastreb. If I still had that style helm seat I'd be right on that.
I vote for you for genius of the week.
It's still a pita though since you have to move it to operate the water valve and engine disconnect.
I'm cutting my dropboard in half so I can leave the bottom piece in while sailing. The top piece will still be a storage nuisance.

[Boblee]

Don't want to be negative but think it would eventually mark the gelcoat sitting like that and not much value if you want to access through the motorwell which is where we move 99.99% of the time, we either stand ours on the floor on the port side of the console or on the rear bunk, used to be a problem don't notice it now.

[Irafatsar]

Ours is off the boat the minute we hit the launch ramp. we have a plexi-glass door for use while on the boat. slips right behind the galley when not in use.

[NiceAft]

I don't understand the problem. What's wrong with leaving it here

When the area is needed for sleeping, the cooler is removed, and the hatch remains.

Ray

[The-strikes]

The best place to store it is in your garage for the summer. Many of us have made four piece wooden slats that are more convenient to store and look a whole lot better.

[Captain Steve]

I have a star board handle on my hatch. When we are tied up or anchored out I slip a loop of nylon webbing around the handle and carabiner it to one of the life line stanchions and let it hang over the side.... out of the way but still quick to re install if needed.

[Crikey]

Awesom Mastreb. If I still had that style helm seat I'd be right on that.
I vote for you for genius of the week.
It's still a pita though since you have to move it to operate the water valve and engine disconnect.
I'm cutting my dropboard in half so I can leave the bottom piece in while sailing. The top piece will still be a storage nuisance.

Can you cut the board in half without opening up the flotation cavity. Reglassing's not my forte.

[Russ]

It floats. We tow it behind us.

[Crikey]

It floats. We tow it behind us.

Russ - Yah, as a whole piece! But what about as two halves? Mastrebs idea could work as a great engine sound blocker under power, as long as you solved the gelcoat abrasion problem.
The ballast valve is boat - hookable, but the engine disconnect would require some timing alternatives. Not insolvable! If it was easily cut into halves it could still be combined with a plexi upper when installed in its original position.

R.

[RobertB]

It floats. We tow it behind us.

I do not know if I should take you seriously or not - knowing this board, NOT

Since we seem to be going there anyhow, how about the most outrageous ideas now?

Since Russ seems to already to have claimed the kneeboard option, I suggest builing it into the top hatch as a rolldoor.

[Russ]

Mastrebs idea could work as a great engine sound blocker under power

I've got a small piece of plastic that goes under the aft seat in a slot to block noise and prevent digital cameras from bouncing out of the cockpit into the sea.

As for the hatchboard, it's an awful piece of fiberglass. Granted, Roger made it nice and smooth and floats, it never stores anyplace nicely. It must be cheaper to manufacture than to cut a piece of Lexan like he uses for the pedestal.

I made 2 boards out of a piece of plexiglas. They work great for getting light into the cabin when cold or rainy. We ONLY put the fiberglass board in when closing the boat up because it's strong. Yea, how do you store that beast? Mastreb's idea is a good solution.
Plexiglas isn't strong for a permanent hatch, so next time I'm making one out of Lexan (polycarbonate). It's pricy, but extremely strong and what most boat makers are using now for hatch boards. This has to be one of the easiest mods to do, even I can do it.

Take a piece of Lexan (polycarbonate sheet) the size of your hatch. Cut it to the same size (some suppliers will even do this for you). Then cut it in half on an angle so water runs out when the boards are installed. Sand the edges and you have 2 small boards that store under a seat cushion.

--Russ

[Crikey]

That channel and engine well acts as a huge source of sound under WOT. I've tried to improvise both kinds of covers with cushions as well as cardboard, similar to some of the sunbrella cockpit blockers on the market. A Fiberglas barrier's effect would be much higher vibration reduction, than nothing at all.

[mastreb]

Turns out I do lose the top inch of travel when my motor is centered with the hatch in this position. Still gets my engine completely out of the water, and thus far I've not seen any gelcoat damage. I think with any motor larger than an ETEC-60 (which is pretty much all of them) you'd be dragging the lower housing in the water with the hatch in this position. A flat board cut to the hatch dimensions would fit perfectly here however.