How do you replace a boat hatch? What tools and materials are needed?

Question

How do you replace a boat hatch? What tools and materials are needed?

Answer 1

If you post some pictures of the area you want to work on, it would help a lot.

It's a bit too vague to give a good answer at this point.

Answer 2

There are a bunch of difrferent types, but in general and on my boat,

You remove the old hatch by removing screws or bolts, lifting the old hatch (this may require a battle with the old sealant, a thin bladed tool and/or solvent).

Clean the area of all old sealant and any other matter. (This is extremely important.)

Dry fit the new hatch. This may require fitting a collar first that the hatch assembly fits into. If the replacement is not identical to the old hatch you may need to cut or fill.

Seal the interior exposed deck area (core) with epoxy. Fill the s***w holes with epoxy if this was how the hatch is fastened and redrill. (This may or may not be necessary if bolted.)

Seat the new hatch into a sealant-adhesive. Suggest you use a product that will allow the hatch to be removed sometime in the future rather than a super adhesive. Reinstall fasteners.

Clean up any excess sealant immediately!

Install interior trim if appropriate

Answer 3

Not enough information to give a complete answer. Are you talking about a deck hatch or the companionway hatch? It depends on whether the old hatch was designed specifically for the boat or is a standard flat hatch. If it is custom to the boat, call the builder and hope that the manufacturer is still in business. If it is a standard deck hatch, there are a lot of choices for replacements, Lewmar, Bowmar are 2 of the most common.