Need to replace a forward Hatch on a 1984 O'Day 26. I have the new hatch on hand (Bomar), but need suggestions on how to get the old one off!! Probably the original hatch. Any suggestions??
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I hate those hatches that O'Day installed on these boats. I bought a Bomar Hatch a couple of years ago at Defender Marine in Connecticut. It turned out that the hatch was shade too small for the hatch opening. To make a long story short, I wound up taking the hatch back and getting my money back. When I first opened the carton, one of the dogs was broke. I called them and they sent me a new one. Anyway, the old hatch on my 222 is held on with machine bolts on the outside, and cap nuts on the inside against a square frame that fits into the hatch flange. After I took all the bolts and cap nuts out of the hatch, I removed the square frame on the inside, and I used a metal putty knife to slip between the hatch flange while prying carefully. I heated the putty knife with my blow torch so that I could soften the caulking to remove the hatch without breaking it. After I got it removed, I was happy that I didn't break it because I wound up re-caulking it and sticking my old hatch back on again. I was able to take the hatch cover off and remove the knobs and threaded bolts and free everything up again last year. Yesterday, the hatch slammed down and a small piece of one of the knobs broke off, but I'm going to glue the piece of the knob back and maybe add a thin strip of duct tape around the bottom portion of the knob to keep from coming apart. I've said this before and I'll say it again. These hatches are junk! Even the new hatches are made of plastic. I could make a better and stronger hatch than that out of wood, and I may do it yet. A friend of mine bought a metal adjuster for the hatch on his Mac 26, and it broke on him! They get big bucks for this stuff and it don't even last. So if you're planning on removing your hatch and it isn't too far gone, remove it carefully because you may wind up doing the same thing that I did. When you caulk it, don't use 5200 or 4200. Use a good grade of Polysulfide caulking, like 3-M Marine Adhesive Sealant Fast Cure 4000 UV. Good Luck! Joe
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