Glue for hatch handle

May 24, 2004
7,129
CC 30 South Florida
On the h320 the handle for the small hatch in the head became unglued. Before I go out and get some epoxy to glue it back on is there something I should know or is there a recommended product. I try to keep abreast of new products in the market but I obviously skipped the glues chapter. Thanks for the help.
 
Dec 2, 1999
15,184
Hunter Vision-36 Rio Vista, CA.
You can always buy a new one from this website. I doubt that glue is going to work.
 
Aug 3, 2010
150
Hunter 326 Charleston SC
I have a 2003 326, and the hatch handle came off as well. I epoxied it back with a two part and it's been fine the last two years. Don't remember the brand just from Lowe's for plastic use.

A little went a long way
 
May 24, 2004
7,129
CC 30 South Florida
Thanks guys; after looking at the archives and doing a little research it has become evident that both Bomar and Lewmar when consulted indicated that handles were joined with the acrylic at the factory and that they could not be glued back on. No one seems to know or heard of anyone offering repair services to glue the parts. Various sailors have reported trying different epoxy's just to have the handles come off shortly. A couple like kjretlaw have reported success with the use of an epoxy blended for plastics. I'm concerned about the uncertainty of not having a locking hatch when perhaps needed in foul weather. There were a couple of suggestions about drilling a hole and bolting the handle through. It has to be done carefully as not to crack the acrylic but I think it offers the most secure and sure fix for the problem. At first I was not sure whether epoxy could be applied to acrylic but had no idea that I would be walking into an ant pile. I'll start checking on the availability and cost of replacement just in case I crack it.
 
May 24, 2004
7,129
CC 30 South Florida
In order to provide some info for those that may find themselves in my situation I will describe the hatch situation for the 2001 h320. The boat comes equipped with six Lewmar hatches size 10 which are approximately 13" x 13" with a cut out opening of 10.25" x 10.25". There are three possible different models that could have been used at the time. In 1998 the Coastline model was discontinued and the Low Profile Mark I introduced on 1999 which in turn was replaced by the Low profile Mark II in 2000. As different hatches continued to be installed until the old models became depleted it is possible to find some of the earlier ones in 2003 boats. The big difference is that in the Coastline model the acrylic lens cannot be replaced But in the Low Profile models replacement lenses are available but not interchangeable between the MkI and the MKII. To identify your model hatch you will need to look for a serial number etched into the acrylic. For the Coastline model ther will not be a serial number as the lens is not repleavble. For the MKI it will be a number like 399..... and for the MK II the serial will start with an "A" like A399..... The model is important to get the correct replacement lens. New LP size 10 hatches sell for around $255 and they carry them at West Marine. Replacement lenses can be found at Defender for around $105 MKI and $110 MK II. I guess any Lewmar Dealer could order the parts but check the prices as the factory suggested retails are higher.
 
Jan 22, 2008
8,050
Beneteau 323 Annapolis MD
I'm having a problem that one of the newer Lewmar opening ports, one of the flip latches at the bottom came off from whatever the adhesive is. Looks like some glue that should be available SOMEWHERE.
 
Jun 21, 2004
2,532
Beneteau 343 Slidell, LA
Has anyone come up with a satisfactory repair to reglue or replace the plastic handle on the interior of Lewmar Low / medium profile deck hatches\? I have four of these deck hatches on my 2006 Beneteau 343. One debonded today & I would bet that the remaining hatch handles are going to debond also. I believe the one that unglued is a size 20 Mark II low profile hatch. The handle isn't broken; it just debonded from the lens. Seems that there would be some kind of adhesive that could be used to reattach the thing. I sent an email to Hatch Masters to determine if the newer thru bolted handles could be retrofitted to repair the glued hatch. Just my luck, Lewmar discontinued my specific hatch because of the handle issue.
 
Jun 8, 2004
10,024
-na -NA Anywhere USA
@BigEasy
Not sure if that handle is plastic. Remember I use to sell and advise working on the ACP or plastic boats to Hunter. Epoxy will not work with plastics. You need a glue to specifically glue plastics only. One name is Plastic Welder. Not sure if that is a Devcon product or not but when looking at glues, look to see if formulated for plastic only. You in a sense are glueing plastics together just like in your younger days putting models together. No regular model glue like tester's will not work.
 
Nov 26, 2012
2,315
Catalina 250 Bodega Bay CA
Dave: Can't they safely drill through the acrylic and pop rivet the handle in conjunction with the correct adhesive? I know a backing plate on the back side of the acrylic and handle would be wise as well to distribute the load. Chief
 
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Gunni

.
Mar 16, 2010
5,937
Beneteau 411 Oceanis Annapolis
Has anyone come up with a satisfactory repair to reglue or replace the plastic handle on the interior of Lewmar Low / medium profile deck hatches\? I have four of these deck hatches on my 2006 Beneteau 343.
The Lewmar low-profile hatches have through-bolted handles. Available from Lewmar or HatchMasters. Are you referring to opening ports?
 
Jun 21, 2004
2,532
Beneteau 343 Slidell, LA
Gunni,
This is a Lewmar deck hatch. No thru hole on these. Doing some research on scotchweld acrylic adhesive. May also consider a lewmar thru bolted handle as found on newer hatches.
 
Jun 21, 2004
2,532
Beneteau 343 Slidell, LA
@BigEasy
Not sure if that handle is plastic. You need a glue to specifically glue plastics only. One name is Plastic Welder. Not sure if that is a Devcon product or not but when looking at glues, look to see if formulated for plastic only. glueing plastics .
Thanks to all of you for your recommendations. Was able to get second hand information that Lewmar used Plexus MA310 methyl methacrylate adhesive to bond the handle to the acrylic lens. (same stuff as Devcon welder product). Another recommendation is Araldite 2022 methacrylic adhesive. I am going to try the Plexus MA310 since that was the adhesive recommended by Lewmar. Heck, if it holds for another 10 years, I am good with that. I did receive a reply from Hatch Masters, they advised that they could make a replacement lens with a thru bolted latch/handle; however, I didn't give them the identification number of the lens, so they didn't quote a price.
If the adhesive option doesn't work adequately, I will likely try to retrofit the existing lens myself with a Lewmar thru bolted handle assembly. A new lens with handle installed by Hatch Masters would be my third choice.
Chief, I agree with you that a thru hole, backing plate, combined with adhesive would be the strongest assembly. I might try that option also. Somewhat concerned about drilling the hatch. My understanding is to start with a small pilot hole, then gradually increase the drill diameter, and to drill from both sides of the lens to prevent cracking the lens.
As I mentioned, I have four of these Lewmar hatches on the boat, I wouldn't be surprised if the others don't debond in the
near future.
 
Jan 22, 2008
8,050
Beneteau 323 Annapolis MD
Are those hatches made the same as the opening ports, with the latches glued on? 343/323/
 
Nov 26, 2012
2,315
Catalina 250 Bodega Bay CA
BigEasy: One of my minors in Ind. Tech. Eng. is plastics. The way we were taught to drill acrylic was to use masking tape to slowly drill part way through until you see the dimple on the back and reverse to dimple and punch through.. Super sharp drill and as you said: start small. Go slow and be sure acrylic stays cool using wet cloth. 1"x1/8 aluminum strap makes a good backing plate. Chief
 
Oct 2, 2008
3,807
Pearson/ 530 Strafford, NH
BigEasy: One of my minors in Ind. Tech. Eng. is plastics. The way we were taught to drill acrylic was to use masking tape to slowly drill part way through until you see the dimple on the back and reverse to dimple and punch through.. Super sharp drill and as you said: start small. Go slow and be sure acrylic stays cool using wet cloth. 1"x1/8 aluminum strap makes a good backing plate. Chief
Could you melt through with a solder pen?

All U Get
 
Jan 22, 2008
8,050
Beneteau 323 Annapolis MD
You do not want the fastener to "bite" the lens, you want the hole bigger than the fastener, and a back plate as Chief suggested.
 
Nov 26, 2012
2,315
Catalina 250 Bodega Bay CA
All U Get: yes, you could melt the hole and it would reduce the incident of cracking. The drawback is it would now have a lip on both sides of the hole that would have to be removed ASAP. I would think a hot knife blade would work. Maybe grinding it off would work but have not tried this while needing a flat surface afterwards. Find a piece of plastic and try methods. Another way that comes to mind is the chamfer bit for beveling holes to remove melted lips. The chamfer bit sounds like it would also work with the first small drilled hole, follow with chamfer bit and then last drill with lower stress!
Ron has good point as hole should not be tight. Chief
 
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Jun 21, 2004
2,532
Beneteau 343 Slidell, LA
Ron,
Totally different latch & handle design compared to portlights. Not sure if the adhesive is similar.