How do you remove a Lewmar hatch?

[Skylark]

I want to fit an additional winch to the coachroof of my Beneteau 361.

I need to remove a wooden panel from the roof lining of the starboard, aft cabin in order to gain access to the GRP, hence to bolt through the winch.

The panel is held in place by small screws.......if only it was that simple! It also seems to be being held in place by the Lewmar hatch. It looks as though the hatch needs to be removed before I can remove the wooden panel.

Removing the hatch looks like a big job. I've unscrewed 8 screws from around its outer frame. No sign of any movement so my next step is to ask the experts.

Just to make it interesting, the hatch on the cabin side also has a mosquito net frame and this doesn't look like it wants to be removed very readily, either.

I can well imagine my trying to remove the hatch will end in tears. My plan B is to cut the wooden panel into 2, for and aft, along the line of the hatch. The panel is probably 3mm ply and a good, sharp knife, cutting overhead, may do it. This should give me access to the GRP where needed without having to touch the hatch.

Anyone done something similar and has an advice to offer?

 

[Spyro]

The hatch frame is screwed onto the deck as you suspected, the problem you will have is that it will also be bedded onto some type of sealant/adhesive. If it's something like sikaflex you will be better trying to get a thin blade between the deck and frame and cutting the sealant.

 

[theoldsalt]

I think I read somewhere that on some hatches the hinges are separately bolted through the deck as well. Worth a check.

 

[alisdair4]

Hatch removal

FWIW, I had to take off 2 hatches a year or so ago. The advice about a thin blade (perhaps one of these extending Kraft knives) is spot on. You need to work this under the hatch flange from both outside and in to cut through all of the sealant. It takes time, but if you are careful, you should be able to get the hatch off undamaged.

 

[Deleted member 36384]

I think I read somewhere that on some hatches the hinges are separately bolted through the deck as well. Worth a check.

On my Lewmar hatches ( the ones with the clicky stops when opening to hold open at any angle) each hinge has two screws each side of the hinge mount. Outside the hinge mount there are standard self tapping screws through the flange. The hinge screws don't look as if they are part of the flange mounting screws, but in fact they are.

One observation from my experience, cut all the mastic, all the way round. I had a window flange to remove and cut through most of the mastic. As I gently broke the last of the mastic by lifting the flange a chunk of gel coat broke off with the mastic. Make sure that all the mastic is removed.

A small diameter guitar or piano string wrapped around two dowels can make a very effective cheese cutter for slashing through mastic.

 

[corinthmistral]

Am doing this exact same job at the moment. Hatch is a 700mm x 700mm lewmar, also with the clicky ratchet type affair to hold the hatch open at various angles. The lower ring is stuck down with mastic and held in place by a number of stainless screws. To remove it you remove the screws and prise away the mastic, as per the other posts here. The hatch lid and hinges are a seperate unit. Each hinge (there are 3 on my hatch) is held down by two bolts. So, unless you really need to remove the lower hatch ring you do not have to remove it in order to remove the hatch lid / hinges. The hinge bases are also bedded on mastic so can also be a bit tricky to remove, but nowhere near as tricky as the hatch ring. Good luck!

 

[Seajet]

Davidjackson,

if you should have to replace your Lewmar hatch, watch out; I replaced my Lewmar forehatch - originally from Seateach - with another of the same dimensions from the same place about 10 years later; the bolt hole spacing was totally different...

 

[caerolusmagnus]

How do you remove a Lewmar hatch

If you have to remove the lower hatch ring do not lever the hatch ring up. Use the knife and lots of patience. There is the danger of bending the ring out of true and the hinge may jam.

 

[lw395]

I used a steel wire to cut the sealant on one side as I could not get a knife in.
Also used a hot air gun to heat the ali frame in the hope it softened the sealant.
If you can use a thin wedge (or several!) to stretch the sealant at all, it cuts much more easily, and may just slowly fail as you warm the frame.
Take it slowly and don't bend anything permanently.

 

[Ephesian]

Having replaced two lemar hatches on my boat it's pretty easy to remove them. In fact it was a bit scary just how little was holding them in place! They were bolted through at the hinges, and just self tappers throught the GRP everywhere else. As others have said, the whole thing was bedded on sealant, so you need to prise it off gently (I was replacing with new so wasn't worried about damaging them...).

On the new ones not only where the holes in different places, but the actual overall size was slightly different too (smaller).

Given I was replacing a foredeck hatch I also reversed it's opening direction - changed it from hinges aft to hinges forward which feels safer.