I've been searching through the forum and found mentions of this issue, but not enough to give me the confidence to proceed.
I removed, cleaned and re-bedded the wood strip on the forward top end of the sliding hatch on my 1995 H23.5. When I did that, I didn't have the time to deal with the fact that all 4 screws up through the hatch are stripped and just keep turning in the wood. The repair was successful in that I didn't get a drop of water inside when it rained the next night. I have a new sunbrella cover being shipped form this site. The original was 12 years old, deteriorated, shrunk, and got shredded in two hailstorms recently.
I don't know if the hatch is lexan or acrylic/plexiglass, cast or extruded. At one of the screws, a V-shaped piece broke off the edge, leaving the threads of the screw showing. Another screw location has a lengthy crack running through it. Does this indicate it's not lexan? I'm sure this damage is from pulling too hard when sliding the hatch closed. The CLUNK you hear is that strip of wood hitting the fiberglass lip of the upper fiberglass hinged portion of the hatch.
The easiest thing to do would be to drill new holes for additional screws between the existing locations, but I'm afraid to do so without advice about how to drill. What kind of bit, speed, technique, etc, or if it's even a problem. I'm worried about chipping and cracking.
The drilling will have to be done from inside. I'm not removing the wood strip and silicon again!
An alternative (or in addition) would be to put something up into the screw holes, into the wood. Epoxy, or sawdust mixed with wood glue, or something? Then re-drill the wood, or just insert the screws.
I know now to be GENTLE when pulling the hatch closed, and I'm pretty sure it won't ever fail, but I might as well add a few more screws if it can be done without further cracking the plastic piece.
I removed, cleaned and re-bedded the wood strip on the forward top end of the sliding hatch on my 1995 H23.5. When I did that, I didn't have the time to deal with the fact that all 4 screws up through the hatch are stripped and just keep turning in the wood. The repair was successful in that I didn't get a drop of water inside when it rained the next night. I have a new sunbrella cover being shipped form this site. The original was 12 years old, deteriorated, shrunk, and got shredded in two hailstorms recently.
I don't know if the hatch is lexan or acrylic/plexiglass, cast or extruded. At one of the screws, a V-shaped piece broke off the edge, leaving the threads of the screw showing. Another screw location has a lengthy crack running through it. Does this indicate it's not lexan? I'm sure this damage is from pulling too hard when sliding the hatch closed. The CLUNK you hear is that strip of wood hitting the fiberglass lip of the upper fiberglass hinged portion of the hatch.
The easiest thing to do would be to drill new holes for additional screws between the existing locations, but I'm afraid to do so without advice about how to drill. What kind of bit, speed, technique, etc, or if it's even a problem. I'm worried about chipping and cracking.
The drilling will have to be done from inside. I'm not removing the wood strip and silicon again!
An alternative (or in addition) would be to put something up into the screw holes, into the wood. Epoxy, or sawdust mixed with wood glue, or something? Then re-drill the wood, or just insert the screws.
I know now to be GENTLE when pulling the hatch closed, and I'm pretty sure it won't ever fail, but I might as well add a few more screws if it can be done without further cracking the plastic piece.