Saga of crazed hatch lens replacement info

[John T1594]

E-Mail message from ME to LEWMAR: I have a number of Lewmar hatches on my 2000 Hunter 340 sailboat that are in need of some repair &/or replacement. Where/how can I find the model or product number for each of these items on the hatch itself? I contacted Hunter Marine and they identified the Lewmar hatches on my boat as your Coastline Series, Size 60 # 39960030. According to West marine, the hatch frame can be opened and the lens and seal replaced.
LEWMAR: Pictures and overall outside dimensions would be the best way to go to identify your hatches. Part number 39960030 is not nor ever was a Coastline hatch. It has always been a Low Profile. The Coastline hatches had a special chemical seal on them that had to be replaced by a professional due to the nature of the seal.
ME: So if the boat manufacturer says it is a Coastline but the part number is for a Low-Profile - I'm stuck and still don't know which hatch I have. The inside measurements on the hatches are for a Series 60 (19- 15/16" X 19-15/16”) and they look like the low profile hatches in the catalogs. Is there any way to tell if I might have a Coastline vs. Low-profile?
LEWMAR: If it is a LP hatch then the acrylic can be replaced. Look at your hinges that connect the upper and lower frame. An LP hatch would have these little plastic covers that you would have to first pop off in order to start dismantling the hinge. A Coastline would just have two long pins that go through the entire hinge and you would have to drive it out with a punch.
ME: My hatches have the small plastic clips/covers over the hinges, so I guess that I have the Series 60 Low Profile hatches. However, the seams on the upper frame for the lens are fore and aft, not on the sides of the frame as Lewmar shows in its instructions on changing the lenses.
LEWMAR: No they are still low profile, they just come apart slightly different. There should be a serial number on each hatch acrylic; stamped into the acrylic itself, near the handles; you might have to pull back the gasket a bit to see it. We have two different generations of the LP hatches, what are referred to as Mark I and Mark II but you cannot take a mark I acrylic and put it in a mark II frame and vice versa.
ME: The serial number on the acrylic for the main hatch is # 3996003 - 18B0, and the acrylic for my forward hatch is # 3996003-23A0. Also of note, my forward hatch does not have the small plastic cover/clips on the hinges but appears to have the friction type hinges.
Lewmar: Ok that is a LP Mark I size 60 hatch. The hinges would be part number 361263999. The hinge covers are 361027999 for a bag of 10. The acrylics are 360852990, these come with the gaskets but if you want the gaskets by themselves then they would be part number 360872999. These can be purchased through any of our distributors, a full listing of which can be found on our website under the Contact Us section.

 

[John T1594]

Saga

Regarding the above post: I must say that the folks at customer service at Lewmar were very helpful and responded to my questions promptly and courteously. Although I had to make three trips to the boat to look for all of the parts and markings on the hatches to correctly ID them, I am more than satisfied with the information I obtained and I hope it will be helpful to others looking to replace their hatch lenses. At some point, I may have to replace the lenses in some of my portlights as well and that will be another saga.

Hunter Marine, on the other hand, gave me the wrong information about the type of hatch but did have the correct Part Number. I also had to contact Hunter Marine for assistance with a recommendation for an OEM replacement for the diesel fuel tank sender unit on my boat. They said that the original unit was a Teleflex, but when I removed the old sender, it was a Moeller/Tempo design and that is what I am using to replace it.

 

[xcyz]

Re: Saga

I've been thinking of doing the same on my hatches. I guess you don't know the cost yet but please keep us posted as you move forward.
-R

 

[Allan Frey]

I replaced the three forward hatches on a 376. Replacing the crazed lens would have cost almost as much as replacing the hatches.

Allan

 

[FastOlson]

The correct choice is: ??

I have an '88 model boat with two Lewmar 'ocean' series hatches, and over the last 15 years have replaced both. I did have to epoxy in the old fastener holes and (slightly) re-drill them. (Nothing new ever seems to exactly fit, no matter how close the specs are in the brochure!)


Tedious work, but nothing any patient amateur cannot do, imho.

OTOH, a friend with Lewmar hatches of the same vintage, sent his into Select Plastics on the East coast, and they now are back in place. They look like new, also.
And he did not have to unmount the old bases and remount new ones.

Both answers are 'correct'.

For starters, you might want to get a quote from Select.

:neutral:

You appear to be in the planning and info-gathering part of your project, so it's good to understand your options.