Glue to attach handle to hatch
- Thread starter sunlover
- Start date
Talk to the Hatchmasters folks.. Home - HatchMasters Marine Hatch Repair
They repair hatches and probably have done some like that and may be willing to talk about what adhesive they used..
or something like this.. Loctite® Plastic Bonder (loctiteproducts.com)
Key is going to be surface prep and clamping until fully set..
They repair hatches and probably have done some like that and may be willing to talk about what adhesive they used..
or something like this.. Loctite® Plastic Bonder (loctiteproducts.com)
Key is going to be surface prep and clamping until fully set..
I had handles on both of the forward overhead Lewmar hatches de-bond within the past three years. Epoxy won’t work; have to use Plexus MA 310. (Methyl methacrylate chemistry). Same stuff that Lewmar used. Sand the handle surface to remove old glue & use a sharp chisel to remove old glue from lens & sand. Clean surfaces with alcohol. Mask the lens with painters tape. Check the handle position on adjacent hatch. I clamped for 24 hours, after gluing, before use. First repair has held up for over three years. You can also purchase new screw retained handles & gaskets from Hatch-masters
I stand corrected, the first handle that I reglued with Plexus MA310 lasted 6 1/2 years; debonded a few days ago. I am checking out the conversion to screw retained handles (Lewmar # 360255990) for the size 20 low profile hatches. Saw a video on You Tube on the conversion; have to admit I am a bit nervous about drilling a hole thru acrylic with a step drill
! If you get in a jam and need a quick repair, the Plexus method is pretty good.
! If you get in a jam and need a quick repair, the Plexus method is pretty good.How long did the unused Plexus MA310 last? Thanks. I realized I've got hinges, these latches and the three side clips on many many of my portlights. The first one popped the other day, so it's not just a project, it's probably the first of many.
Probably a year. Keep it stored in climate controlled environment for best longevity.
I've now reattached three of these handles. My Hunter is 22 years old. The last two are both on the same hatch and just popped off at the same time. I have about twenty of these handles on my boat so I expect to be replacing all of them. Googling around for 'the right glue,' I found the industrial stuff listed on other comments. I searched some more and found the recommendation for "DEVCON Plastic Welder 3500 psi Strength" Costs about $7. The first handle I glued on 6 months ago and it's still doing well. The other two I did last weekend. What I did was to use a wire wheel in my drill to remove most of the old glue but also to roughen up both the bottom of the handle and the acrylic window. Not the ideal way to do it but it worked. On the first one I also drilled some small holes to give the glue more 'tooth,' but I don't think much of the glue went into the holes. I clamped each handle in place with a Bessy XCRG ratchet clamp but almost anything will do. the glue has a 4-5 minute handling time, 10-15 minute set time, and 24 hour cure time. I leave the clamps on for several hours. Temperature ranges here in Southern California are 45 to 100 degrees. I think the roughing up (with the wire wheel) is good. I've had no issues with the thickness of the new glue and any residual glue left on and how it dogs the hatch closed. Seems pretty good so far. 6 months. I might be completely wrong about the adhesive. If you know let me know. I used the same double syringe of glue 6 months ago and last weekend. Seems okay.
