Hatches!
Posted: Wed Jun 10, 2020 11:15 am
In an effort to make my GP14 more camp cruising friendly from her past life as an all out race dinghy, I added two waterproof bulkheads to her last fall. Well, they were planned to be waterproof. The stern bulkhead was waterproof, it also had no access. The forward bulkhead had a large hole cut into it for the eventual inclusion of a hatch.
Today that all changed. My original plan was to build some nice wooden hatches, varnish them up, and then find some way to make them seal. The problem was: I was quite unsure what I wanted to do in regards to building these hatches to make them watertight. Without the usual buoyancy bags most Series 1 GP14s have, Spark needed to have some large watertight chambers to keep her afloat if she should get knocked down. Biting the bullet, I went looking for commercial hatches to seal everything up tight.
The rear bulkhead was easy, a couple of screw in access ports 8" in diameter fit the bill with little room to spare. Built in black, they do not distract too much from all the lovely varnish and give me ready access to anything I may need to get at quickly, yet still remain watertight when closed. Perfect!
Putting them in was easy: After using a hole saw to make a sizable opening, I attacked the previously outlined opening with a small Japanese pull saw called a "keyhole saw" and made quick work of the 6 mm plywood. Once I get a few coats of varnish on, I will seal and screw the rings into place and then screw the hatches in. Done!
The forward bulkhead was vexing me. I made the opening large to stuff drybags, pelican cases, and other large bulky things I do not need while sailing. Due to the fact the mast was a scant 11 inches abaft the bulkhead, this meant that any hatch that would fit the opening would crash into the mast before fully opening. Short of redoing the bulkhead completely, I was unsure of what to do. Sailing the internet for ideas, I came across a "compression hatch" at fisheries supply and knew I found my answer. They even had a model that fit the opening within half an inch!
Unlike a regular hatch, a compression hatch does not have a hinge, it fits against the opening in the bulkhead and uses a knob or so to pull a arms against the back of the bulkhead, squeezing the hatch tight. As it was removable when opened, it would never hit the mast. To clean up the opening in the bulkhead, give the compression hatch a better seal, and add some strength where the hatch fit, I constructed a frame to double the bulkhead to 12 mm around the opening before epoxying it into place.
Also being black, it disappears pretty well against the varnished bulkhead up under the foredeck.
One more item (or three) crossed off on the spring commissioning list!
Today that all changed. My original plan was to build some nice wooden hatches, varnish them up, and then find some way to make them seal. The problem was: I was quite unsure what I wanted to do in regards to building these hatches to make them watertight. Without the usual buoyancy bags most Series 1 GP14s have, Spark needed to have some large watertight chambers to keep her afloat if she should get knocked down. Biting the bullet, I went looking for commercial hatches to seal everything up tight.
The rear bulkhead was easy, a couple of screw in access ports 8" in diameter fit the bill with little room to spare. Built in black, they do not distract too much from all the lovely varnish and give me ready access to anything I may need to get at quickly, yet still remain watertight when closed. Perfect!
Putting them in was easy: After using a hole saw to make a sizable opening, I attacked the previously outlined opening with a small Japanese pull saw called a "keyhole saw" and made quick work of the 6 mm plywood. Once I get a few coats of varnish on, I will seal and screw the rings into place and then screw the hatches in. Done!
The forward bulkhead was vexing me. I made the opening large to stuff drybags, pelican cases, and other large bulky things I do not need while sailing. Due to the fact the mast was a scant 11 inches abaft the bulkhead, this meant that any hatch that would fit the opening would crash into the mast before fully opening. Short of redoing the bulkhead completely, I was unsure of what to do. Sailing the internet for ideas, I came across a "compression hatch" at fisheries supply and knew I found my answer. They even had a model that fit the opening within half an inch!
Unlike a regular hatch, a compression hatch does not have a hinge, it fits against the opening in the bulkhead and uses a knob or so to pull a arms against the back of the bulkhead, squeezing the hatch tight. As it was removable when opened, it would never hit the mast. To clean up the opening in the bulkhead, give the compression hatch a better seal, and add some strength where the hatch fit, I constructed a frame to double the bulkhead to 12 mm around the opening before epoxying it into place.
Also being black, it disappears pretty well against the varnished bulkhead up under the foredeck.
One more item (or three) crossed off on the spring commissioning list!