More on ‘Minnow’s’ Hatch

 

Outside

 

Inside

 

Cramped Foam

‘Minnow’s’ hatch has been put in place, and I have almost finished installing it. This afternoon I added an external baffle to the front end. I made it from a draught excluder I bought at B & Q.

I discovered that when I opened and closed the hatch, both pieces of insulation foam under the lid snagged on the hatch gate baffle; therefore I cramped them to the lid with plastic edging strips.

I’m quite pleased with the hatch, and I think it should be virtually watertight, even in the worst conditions when waves may break over the boat. Rainwater and spray should escape through the drain holes either side, or through gaps at the front and back between the outer retainer frames* and the hatch side seals.

When I first looked at the boat, I thought quite a bit of work would be required to make her hatch satisfactory, and I wasn’t wrong.

When I am able to take ‘Minnow’ outside, I’ll give the hatch a thorough test by sloshing water over it.

*The retainer frames run fore and aft. Their purpose is to restrict vertical movement of the hatch. The hatch cannot move further forward than it should because of stops at the front end of the sliders, and it cannot slide off astern, because wooden trim strips either side of the hatch gateway act as stops. These bits of varnished wood have yet to be screwed and sealed in place. In addition to making the boat look more attractive, they will help keep water out.