I just received a survey back on a Hunter 31 which I have made an offer on recently. The survey is generally good except for a few fix-it things here and there. One of these items is the Anchor Well Hatch. It is apparently delaminated with a wet core. The surveyor recommends grinding out the underside encapsulation and recore the hatch. Is there just anyway to just purchase a replacement anchore hatch cover. Are aftermarket hatches made or are they available from the factory? Greg W.
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Cut the inside off....
Greg: If you remove the lid on the anchor locker you should have an easy job to replace the core. Just get a zip tool with a blade and cut the area out that has the coring. Be careful not to damage the glass (you will need it when you replace the wood). Just cut some marine grade plywood to fit. Soak it with epoxy. Replace it in the lid and place the piece that you cut out in place. Just a little fiberglass and resin should reseal the lid. Paint it or re-gel coat it and you should be good to go.
Greg: If you remove the lid on the anchor locker you should have an easy job to replace the core. Just get a zip tool with a blade and cut the area out that has the coring. Be careful not to damage the glass (you will need it when you replace the wood). Just cut some marine grade plywood to fit. Soak it with epoxy. Replace it in the lid and place the piece that you cut out in place. Just a little fiberglass and resin should reseal the lid. Paint it or re-gel coat it and you should be good to go.
Steve has the right idea
Steve has the right idea on how to fix hatches that delaminate. I hope my 1981 Hunter 25 anchor well hatch is solid fiberglass. I will have to check it to be sure.
Steve has the right idea on how to fix hatches that delaminate. I hope my 1981 Hunter 25 anchor well hatch is solid fiberglass. I will have to check it to be sure.
Ummm, 23 yr. old boat...
not a lot of OEM parts laying around like with some old cars. The advice you've received is sound and fiberglass and/or epoxy are not hard to work with, especially from beneath where cosmetics won't be too much of an issue. Be glad that it is something that can be removed from the boat to work on. You need to get used to "remove and REPAIR" instead of "remove and REPLACE" or your boating experience will get VERY expensive and NOT very rewarding.
not a lot of OEM parts laying around like with some old cars. The advice you've received is sound and fiberglass and/or epoxy are not hard to work with, especially from beneath where cosmetics won't be too much of an issue. Be glad that it is something that can be removed from the boat to work on. You need to get used to "remove and REPAIR" instead of "remove and REPLACE" or your boating experience will get VERY expensive and NOT very rewarding.
Hatch Delam
I had the same problem on my '83 H34 years ago. seems to me the core was foam rather than wood. I was able to cut it out, epoxy it back in, then put a few layers of cloth and resin on the underside. It's not a hard job, as Steve has said.
I had the same problem on my '83 H34 years ago. seems to me the core was foam rather than wood. I was able to cut it out, epoxy it back in, then put a few layers of cloth and resin on the underside. It's not a hard job, as Steve has said.
Easy to remove coring
A second vote for Steve's idea. I had a similar problem with my 1980 H30. I removed the hatch and worked on it over the winter season. I was able to cut through the thin fiberglass around the edge of the plywood coring on the underside of the hatch. The whole plywood coring came loose easily - i.e. delamination. The plywood was not wet, rotted or damaged but had just separated from the overlying decking. In my case, I mixed up some West System epoxy and glued the plywood back onto the underside of the hatch. Then I resealed the edges with epoxy and fiber glsss strips - not pretty but who cares on the underside of the hatch.
A second vote for Steve's idea. I had a similar problem with my 1980 H30. I removed the hatch and worked on it over the winter season. I was able to cut through the thin fiberglass around the edge of the plywood coring on the underside of the hatch. The whole plywood coring came loose easily - i.e. delamination. The plywood was not wet, rotted or damaged but had just separated from the overlying decking. In my case, I mixed up some West System epoxy and glued the plywood back onto the underside of the hatch. Then I resealed the edges with epoxy and fiber glsss strips - not pretty but who cares on the underside of the hatch.
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