Deck Hatch and glass everywhere

No biggie Scott. Maybe I'm wrong and my kids are missing out because I won't let them below when we're on plane. ;) I've just seen too many people stumble when moving around and would hate to see one of my kids with a busted nose or broken arm by getting bounced around below.

Good luck fishing. Wish I could do the same instead of heading out to afternoon meetings...
 
OK, I thought I would give my $.02 since I started this thread and apologize that I haven't been on here in a while. I boat regularly on Coralville Reservoir and my boating habits certainly take into consideration the types of water on which we boat. The water was not rough and like glass in this particular instance. It just happens that the wind took the hatch back and broke the support arms. BTW, there is nothing more smooth and soothing than running the 280 at 35-40 mph on glass. I have no problem with the kids moving about in the cabin as they were brought up on boat and definitely have good sea legs. Also, my kids are 13 and 18... so that does play a role. If I have younger guests/kids, then common sense does apply and they need to remain seated both in the cabin and the cockpit while underway.

Andrew, I can certainly see your point on rough waters... and it is common sense to keep children close to a supervising adult (younger children) as a boat underway can and may need to maneuver or slow down quickly.

However, this is the first time that I've heard someone mention that the cabin should be off limits while on plane. (I've been boating for 24+ years). It's always possible that maybe I'm missing something, but we've been doing fine so far. Believe me, I'm more concerned about the kids when they are waterskiing, jetskiing, tubing, snowmobiling, snow skiing and ATVing. (Not to mention the tree climbing, rock climbing, Airsoft wars, and the crazy flips they try to do jumping from the docks). The list can go on, but "in the cabin" while underway at least to me doesn't seem too high on the "safety list".

All that said, I do agree with you partially, especially when younger children are involved. That being said, I'm not so sure that sitting in the mid-cabin isn't more safe that sitting anywhere in the cockpit during an unexpected boat maneuver.

Thanks,

Mike
 
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Mike,
For what it’s worth, we do the same as you.
Also, we have had things break by our actions.
My response and the consequences will vary depending on the situation.
There are lots of things you can do wrong. Heck, I’ve done them too.
Now if the kids did something that caused damage on purpose they would be punished.
 
Presentation, thanks for the validation. It's hard to punish for something they just didn't know. Plus, the kids love the boat and he felt as bad as I did. On your profile pick, I see that your hatch is open completely while at anchor. Imagine it getting pushed up to that position while underway and the wind grabbing it. THUD....... : )
 
MExcelsior said:
Presentation, thanks for the validation. It's hard to punish for something they just didn't know. Plus, the kids love the boat and he felt as bad as I did. On your profile pick, I see that your hatch is open completely while at anchor. Imagine it getting pushed up to that position while underway and the wind grabbing it. THUD....... : )
Click to expand...



Darn it, my wife just accidently just dropped a glass of milk in the kitchen. I need to go beat her for it,….just kidding!




In this situation I think I’d work on the repairs together. In the end it will become a story of how you worked together to fix it.
 
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Mike, I'm not saying the cabin is off limits on plane - I was reacting to 3 things in your original post (children / 35mph / winds). I made the wrong assumption that your kids were younger. It just sounded unsafe.

In my case, most of my boating is on Lake Erie, where even 3 footers can give my 20,000 pound boat a bit of a pounding when they are at the wrong interval for my cruising speed (25 mph). For me, it isn't a safe place to have my young kids (7 and 9).

And, since this forum is about sharing opinion and experience, I thought it made sense to raise the issue. A blanket approach that the cabin is always a safe place no matter the conditions or age of the occupants could be a very dangerous premise under which to operate (and I'm not saying you've advocated this thinking at all). A newbie with young kids could make the mistake of thinking it was quite safe to have a 5 year old watching a dvd in the cabin while moving at 35mph in less than perfect conditions. Quite quickly, the youngster could become a pinball down there, which wouldn't be good.

Obviously, I've touched a nerve with many members - but I think it has been a good debate and highlights the differences in how we use our boats, how our conditions can be different, and how we all perceive safety differently.

If my kids were older and we were on glass, I can see that they could be safe and comfortable down there. In adverse conditions, I can see pros and cons to being below. Ultimately, we all have to make decisions based on experience, knowledge, conditions, and capabilities.
 
OK, thought I would give everyone an update. Thanks God SeaRay doesn't use 3M 5200 on the 280 hatch. (I was prepared for a nightmare). Basically I took the privacy screen off with the 4 screws. (2 minutes). : ) The seal on the screen is connected to the hatch with a very light coating of cauck, and they separated perfectly with my hands. (Cauck actually stuck to the old hatch side... yippi!

Opened hatch, unscrewed 13 screws on topside by hand (came out really easily). Put just a little pressure from below pushing up and getting ready with a hook knife to start cutting the 3m 5200 under the lip (MM Service guy told me this). Needless to say, the hatch just lifted up and they didn't use any sealant other than the separate gasket that came with the window. (I was pleasantly surprised... in fact it really made my day).

The only bummer was that the holes on the new Taylor UltraIII (old was ultraII) were in different locations and I had to drill new holes. Thank goodness that they were not set anywhere near the existing holes to the old hatch. In short, filled old holes with sealant, put down masking tape, drilled new holes and placed in new hatch with sealant on the new screws. (this was probably overkill and since the other hatch didn't leak without sealant, I used just the gasket also). Screwed down, replaced privacy screen.

Total hours = 1.5

I got to watch more football today than I expected.

Thanks,
ME
 
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