Help identify this hatch please

[ProDave]

On the front of our Hunter Horizon 23 , it leaks a but and needs a replacement seal.

I have not yet seen any writing on it anywhere to give a hint of what make it is.

 

[RunAgroundHard]

It might be a Houdini Model 5

Deck hatches - Houdini Marine Windows, Boat Hatches

 

[rogerthebodger]

Looks like Houdini to me

 

[PCUK]

That was easy.

 

[Boater Sam]

Its an 18" square Houdini 5. The edge seal is available from Seals Direct on line and from some chandlers or Houdini themselves if they are still in business.

The sealing around the glass is not replaceable, I cut the excess of the old seal away with a scalpel and use windscreen sealant cartridge goo.
Beware, there are spacers embedded in the sealant on both sides of the glass, if you remove any you will have a worse leak for ever.

 

[ProDave]

I am sure the glass seal is okay, it's the seal between the aluminium frame of the opening bit and the aluminium frame of the fixed bit that is leaking. It does look like Houdini, I will check for any of the marks they suggest just to be sure. And size is about right 18" square.

 

[Tranona]

Definitely Houdini. They supplied all the Hunter hatches of that era. Still in business.

 

[[193211]]

Definitely a Houdini. I replaced mine last year as the glass seal had gone hard and cracked. The frame seal needs to be kept clean.

I chose to replace like for like and regretted it as the new one was larger than old one and fitting it necessitated minor surgery. Gebo also do a 500 x 500 hatch but I preferred the look of the Houdini.

 

[Boater Sam]

The name is often etched on the glass with the toughening mark.

I replaced 3 Houdinis last year, same size as the originals but annoyingly the fixing holes were slightly out of position. Meant a lot of work on a steel boat to get them fitted.

 

[StevieD]

On the front of our Hunter Horizon 23 , it leaks a but and needs a replacement seal.

I have not yet seen any writing on it anywhere to give a hint of what make it is.

View attachment 160569

Hunter Horizon 23 - afaik were originally fitted with the Houdini hatch (as Tranoma has suggested), pain to fix and my old one leaked from the glass seal, replaced with lewmar but needed minor surgery :-( as a few mm different. Think the old one is still in my lockup lol

 

[ProDave]

So we have identified it's a houdini hatch and further it is the sort where the seal is a P seal and runs in a groove in the extrusion of the opening section if the hatch (as apposed to a version using a self adhesive seal)

So next question, if we buy a new seal, HOW do we remove the old one and fit the new one?

It slides in a narrow groove in the extrusion all the way round. I have looked all the way round expecting to find a section widened (like the gate in a mast groove) but can't see one.

If you just wrench the old one out, chances are it will tear and leave part of the old one in there.

All I can think is use something like a dremmel to grind an access slot in the channel somewhere?

What have others done?

 

[Boater Sam]

It just pulls out and you press the new, more flexible, one into the groove. It doesn't thread in, just stretch it a bit, it goes thinner, then press it in. Do not cut it to length whist it is stretched.
The ends glue together with good superglue. Houdini say put a little silicone sealant in the groove but I never do, it won't leak.