I have seen several inquiries about the sliding hatches being difficult, to impossible to slide. Mine had been working OK for the last few years, but became very difficult recently. After removing the wooden stop that keeps the hatch from sliding all the way out, I cleaned everything thoroughly, I reinstalled the stop only to find that it was even more difficult to slide. I finally figured out that the 2 little rubber feet that the fiberglass portion of the hatch rests on were the key. They had probably compressed a bit over time and the f.g. hatch may have sagged a bit. I replaced the rubber feet with some door stop tips that I got at Lowes. The brand name is national with the numbers N225-557 in the lower left hand corner. I cut approx. half of the upper portion off, which raised the hatch about one-eighth of an inch. This now puts some space between the wooden stop strip and the f.g. hatch and allows the sliding hatch to move freely. So, forget the wax, butter, WD40, etc. and replace the little rubber pads.
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Wooden Stop
Along this same line, I found that the wooden stop was rubbing the companionway cover. I sanded it down some and things slid a bit better. I'm going to check those rubber feet though. One of them looks compressed. Jim S/V Java
Along this same line, I found that the wooden stop was rubbing the companionway cover. I sanded it down some and things slid a bit better. I'm going to check those rubber feet though. One of them looks compressed. Jim S/V Java
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