How to hold H23 cabin hatch in up position

[isaksp00]

My '91 H23 has a swing-up main companionway hatch, which can be raised when the sliding hatch is all the way forward. I don't see any hardware that looks like it is used to hold the hatch up - does the H23 come with any kind of support mechanism? What do you all use to support it?
Thanks, Peter

 

[DJN51]

My 23.5 has two rods under hatch in grooves which swing down and back and support hatch.Should be the same for 23!

 

[Mac Bentley]

My h23 has nothing. We just use a board to prop it open.

 

[Kermit]

I wrap a bungee cord around the mast and hook it to the hatch cover where you put the lock for the companionway. I always thought Hunter should have made some sort of arrangement for keeping it open. The bungee technique is secure and won't get knocked away like a board could.

Kermit

 

[Paladin27]

Installed two hatch struts (trunk lid shocks) onto two pieces of L shaped aluminum to replace the two wood pieces below the window and give enough room for the shocks to rest inside the track. I need to take a better photo of the mod, but here's the shocks in the up position. They are weighted enough to hold the hatch up and then you just push it down to close, like a car trunk.

Click to view it bigger.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/paladin27/5888520958/

 

[isaksp00]

Thanks, all. I will eventually do something like what Paladin did. Where did you get those struts? In the meantime, I like the shock cord idea.

 

[MrUnix]

Brilliant idea!

Installed two hatch struts (trunk lid shocks)

I was thinking about adapting some hatch adjusters, but your struts look great!
Crew don't look too bad either

Cheers,
Brad

 

[Paladin27]

Thanks! I highly recommend the strut mod, pretty easy to do, and it makes the hatch SO easy to manage! Emily loves it too... as you can see! LOL

 

[Kermit]

Emily loves it too... as you can see!

That's all that matters anyway! My first mate liked the idea when I told her about it.

Kermit

 

[dstewart100]

Does she come with the modification?

 

[Fly_H23]

Installed two hatch struts (trunk lid shocks) onto two pieces of L shaped aluminum to replace the two wood pieces below the window and give enough room for the shocks to rest inside the track. I need to take a better photo of the mod, but here's the shocks in the up position. They are weighted enough to hold the hatch up and then you just push it down to close, like a car trunk.

Click to view it bigger.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/paladin27/5888520958/lightbox/http://www.flickr.com/photos/paladin27/5888520958/

Looking forward to some close up photos of the hardware and what size struts you used. Mods like this make the H23 that much better.

 

[C Jones]

Your strut mod looks great. I rarely raise mine and just use a bungee across the boom when I do.