Advice on removing cockpit hatch hinge on 2006 340 SDA

[boatrboy]

I have been chasing a water leak on my new boat. I see water drips under the hatch hinge mounting plate in the bilge. My plan is to remove the bolts and lift the hinge at the swim platform and clean and seal both sides… However, the nuts are in the bilge. That means

As I see it I need to:
1) crawl into the bilge
2) have my buddy lower the hatch while I’m down there
3) loosen the nuts while my buddy holds the screwdriver up top
4) have him flip the hatch up, clean and reseal while I’m down there.
5) hold the three bolts while I attach the nuts below.

So - what is freaking me out? What if something goes wrong - how will I get out? I realize the cylinders have the horsepower but it seems there could be too much load for one hinge. What if I have to glass something and need time for it to set up?

I am thinking maybe weld some welding wire to the end of a bolt so I can feed it up and and have buddy slip a nut over the wire and tighten on the bolt. Then I can get out with temp nuts and bolts holding the hinge back on. I can then loosen the nuts from the top and drop the bolt back into the bilge while holding the wire. This will allow me to make a repair. After that obviously reinstall everything as it was.

Any thoughts? Will the hatch drop at all (1/8” or so) once the bolts are loose?

Thanks in advance - Mark

 

[mrsrobinson]

When I recently replaced the engine hatch actuator in my boat I had a similar fear. I found three ways to support it in case it fell on me while I was in the engine compartment. I used to rope tied off to a cleat on the back of the boat, a pole, and a block of wood. I don't know your configuration well enough to comment on yours though.

 

[boatrboy]

When I recently replaced the engine hatch actuator in my boat I had a similar fear. I found three ways to support it in case it fell on me while I was in the engine compartment. I used to rope tied off to a cleat on the back of the boat, a pole, and a block of wood. I don't know your configuration well enough to comment on yours though.

The issue is I believe I need the hatch closed to remove the bolts.

 

[Captsteve427]

I had to make room to pull the generator on my last boat and get it to the shop to have it rebuilt. The boat was on the hard, so I disconnected the actuator arm, lifted and hinged the hatch back so that it was vertically at its tipping point, while tying it off forward to the radar arch and aft over the back of the swim platform to one of the prop struts. It was then secure and could not fall either way.
If you were able to do this, it may give you the piece of mind you're looking for, but may create another concern, since you would then have to remove the hinge to service it, leaving only the other hinge supporting the hatch.
I'd be surprised if you had to glass anything, since those hinges should be bolted through solid fiberglass. Separate the hinge an inch, chock it with a piece of 1" wood, clean up the area beneath it and spread out a layer of 4200 before lowering it back into place. Good luck!

 

[Lazy Daze]

It looks like there's enough stud there to back the nuts off, but don't remove. Wedge the hinge away from the hatch and clean out best you can. You may have to play with having the hatch a different angles to help this process. Then squirt your sealant in there. You can use a ziploc baggie like a cake decorators bag to help. After re-tightening, remove one bolt at a time and re-bed the area under the screw head. Butyl tape would be really nice to use in this situation.

 

[dvx216]

i would consider butyl sealant on this .

 

[mschneider]

Have you determined the source of the water? Is it just any water that gets on to the top of the hinge? I get some water leaking from the lines you have by the green arrow and I believe its just from the dock water hookup. Need to replace the washer/gasket and see if that helps in my case.

 

[boatrboy]

Have you determined the source of the water? Is it just any water that gets on to the top of the hinge? I get some water leaking from the lines you have by the green arrow and I believe its just from the dock water hookup. Need to replace the washer/gasket and see if that helps in my case.

Just before I pulled the boat for the winter, I found water coming through those two large plastic through hulls that the water lines and the power lines pass through. It was wetting the sound insulation. I ended up pulling the panel in the locker and actually sealing those two fittings. I did not see any water leaks from the hoses but assumed after the rain the locker had some water there that did not make it to the gutters for some reason. That leak has stopped so I am sure the hoses are fine, especially since I tested everything before re-assembling the locker panel.

This week after the rain I was able to feel the water under the hinges and after seeing the mold, I am guessing that is the culprit. I can't say for sure this is the only source, but this is certainly leaking somehow.

LD and Cap - Great ideas. Triggered me to sketch something that makes me feel way more comfortable about getting out of the bilge. Thanks!!!

 

[boatrboy]

Butyl tape would be really nice to use in this situation.

I have never used Butyl tape before. What is the thought behind using this vs marine grade silicone?
If the screws are not totally removed will I have to cut the tape around the screws?

My original thought was to apply a thin layout under the entire hinge, but be generous on the screws. UV or underwater products don't seem to be needed here.

There are so many products out there I can drive myself crazy picking something based on their description.....

 

[Lazy Daze]

Butyl is the best stuff. It's like putty so, yes, you can make a small "snake" out of it and wrap it around the screw thread. You also put it into the recess in the hinge plate (where the screw head will seat).

 

[boatrboy]

Butyl is the best stuff. It's like putty so, yes, you can make a small "snake" out of it and wrap it around the screw thread. You also put it into the recess in the hinge plate (where the screw head will seat).

Thanks LD - I just watched a bunch of YouTube videos on using this stuff. Reminds me of silly putty.
My local West Marine is out of stock so I will order something to be shipped to the house.
I had assumed that you needed to lay this stuff down and cover the whole area which is why I was baffled when you suggested it. Now I see you just roll a joint, roll it around the screw, fill the counter sink of the hinge and reassemble without spinning the bolts - wholla.

Thanks again.

 

[techmitch]

Thanks LD - I just watched a bunch of YouTube videos on using this stuff. Reminds me of silly putty.
My local West Marine is out of stock so I will order something to be shipped to the house.
I had assumed that you needed to lay this stuff down and cover the whole area which is why I was baffled when you suggested it. Now I see you just roll a joint, roll it around the screw, fill the counter sink of the hinge and reassemble without spinning the bolts - wholla.

Thanks again.

You won't run out of places to use this stuff.

https://www.amazon.com/08612-Window...la-571344733183&ref=&adgrpid=65039680554&th=1

https://shop.advanceautoparts.com/p...p5oj9hWTYTrsYr8dSTEaAtvvEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

 

[boatrboy]

Butyl is the best stuff. It's like putty so, yes, you can make a small "snake" out of it and wrap it around the screw thread. You also put it into the recess in the hinge plate (where the screw head will seat).

LD - I want to seal a through hull fitting above the waterline for one of my sink drains. Is this butyl tape good (acceptable) for this application or is the preferred sealant 4200?

 

[boatrboy]

I was able to to raise the back of the hatch last week.

I made these 4 bolts and put a wire through the middle of them with a knot on the head side. My Brother in law stayed up top while I removed one bolt at a time and swapped them for the wired one. I only made 4 seeing this was temporary. I closed the hatch after climbing out and loosened and dropped the bolts hanging them on the wire. This allowed me to flip the hinge.
I next used the lift cylinders slowly and lifted the hatch about two inches. I was able to grab the rear of the hatch by the transom grab rail and it pivoted easily and gave me a few inches to see the rain gutter. Once I put a block in there I cleaned it all out and found some pin holes. This appears to be my culprit. I took some pictures so I can develop a plan on how to clean and seal this area out once it gets a little warmer.
I had to leave the hatch operational as the yard is doing the fuel cool upgrade over the winter.
I’ll update this after I finish.

 

[boatrboy]

Well after all this work resealing the hinges and repairing what I thought was a questionable hole in the back of the rain gutter, it turns out not to be the source of my leak.
I had a friend close the hatch with me below now that the shrink wrap is off, and spray water. I was able to see that it appears the weather seal is not compressed tight on the rain gutter in one section. This spot happens to be where the slant back cover stops and rain floods that area. Water seems to build up so much in that one spot it overwhelms the gutter and while mosts flows and escapes the stern opening, much floods the bilge. We taped over that area and flooded the rest of the hatch and no other spot leaks into bilge. I am going to try to add a small piece of weather stripping on the chamfer side of the hatch tomorrow and will report back if that solves this.

 

[boatrboy]

So this is what I see happening - water runs down here and floods this area

and seems to do this.

It seems it overwhelms the gutter and starts leaking in here.

I picked up some weatherstripping tonight and will install it before the next rain. Wish me luck as I hate water in the bilge.

 

[Lazy Daze]

Are the gutter drains clear?

Another option is to put a small flap/extender on the slant back cover. It could be a separate piece of canvas that snaps to the underside of the slant back and the sides of the walk-thru area

 

[boatrboy]

Are the gutter drains clear?

Another option is to put a small flap/extender on the slant back cover. It could be a separate piece of canvas that snaps to the underside of the slant back and the sides of the walk-thru area

The gutters are perfectly clear as I thought some blemishes may have had pin holes so after throughly cleaning and marine Tex I filled the channel with water overnight to test for leaks - the horizontal tape was my level indicator. It seems the rubber strip on the actual hatch doesn’t seal tight at that one section and when hit with the concentrated flow from the cover it runs up and over the gutter before making its way to the outlet. If my idea of an extra piece of weather stripping in that area doesn’t work, your extension idea is on the list. Thanks

 

[Lazy Daze]

Makes sense. The rubber strip does lose elasticity over time and squash down a bit (normal).

 

[boatrboy]

I am hoping this does the trick. It’s supposed to rain tomorrow so we will see…