Missing forehatch

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steve yates

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So came back from spain to discover the forehatch of my bradwell 18 missing, presumably in the storms.
Whats my best line for replacing it, bradwell 18’s are not thatcommon so unlikely to find an old one.
Are they the sort of thing that can be made? Or is it better to find one thats close enough, maybe a bit bigger and cut the deck hole wider to suit?. Or any other suggestions?
 
You could make one from timber and a piece of perspex such as I have on my Twister. Or buy a ready-made hatch and coaming and fit it to a timber surround.

You might also ask yourself whether you really need a forehatch on a boat that size (if it has a roller furling headsail)., since you won't be dropping sails down into the forecabin.
 
Poignard said:
You could make one from timber and a piece of perspex such as I have on my Twister. Or buy a ready-made hatch and coaming and fit it to a timber surround.

You might also ask yourself whether you really need a forehatch on a boat that size (if it has a roller furling headsail)., since you won't be dropping sails down into the forecabin.
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It may be needed as an escape hatch in a fire.
It would be an easy job to make one in GRP.
A nice little project
 
Are you quite sure you can't buy a suitable size hatch "off-the-shelf"? If you can't I would take Geem's advice.

4371_BoatPic_Main.jpg



SailboatData.com - BRADWELL 18 Sailboat
 
steve yates said:
bradwell 18’s are not thatcommon so unlikely to find an old one.
Click to expand...
You reckon?
It's always possible that some nutter who filled in the forehatch in order to install an unstayed mast may have kept hold of the old hatch because he never got round to chucking it out!
(pm sent)
 
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geem said:
It may be needed as an escape hatch in a fire.
It would be an easy job to make one in GRP.
A nice little project
Click to expand...
That is a very good point about escaping in a fire but seeing as the galley (the most likely place for a fire to start) is amidships, the fastest way out would be through the companionway into the cockpit.
 
Fore hatch is an essential part of racing rules for sailing requirements for safety. Not just fire. It is probably easier to build a new cover than fill in the hole.
Your deck will have a turn up around the hole perhaps 20mm or so high. The hatch lid covers over the outside of this by about 1cm clearance. It looks fairly flat in the photo mine is a bit shaped for a curving deck.
Anyway you could just make a plywood cover with sides or make a male mold of a block of wood and or plaster so GRP can be draped over it. Make the curve at the edges gentle to make it easy to get GRP to follow the mold.
When made fit hinges and a stout internal lock. A certain popular local 19ft boat here had front hatch loose held down by a bungy. And yes they often went missing.
ol'will
 
I find it difficult to understand how a fore hatch, knowing the conditions under to which it might be exposed, could be ripped off. by 'weather' - given that it should withstand 'seas'. I'd make a new one, its really not a difficult project, but make sure its a bit more robust than the original.

Are you sure it was not a break-in looking for your store of expensive malt whisky.

You were more than lucky - we have had some rain over the last couple of weeks and smaller yachts without decent covers have simply sunk at their moorings leaving only the top few feet of mast as indication of their whereabouts.

Jonathan
 
Here is a very neat forehatch on a twister which has been installed in place of the original all-timber hatch

1647094083381.png

[I hope the Twister Class Association and the yacht's s owner don't mind me posting it here]
 
Neeves said:
I find it difficult to understand how a fore hatch, knowing the conditions under to which it might be exposed, could be ripped off. by 'weather' - given that it should withstand 'seas'. I'd make a new one, its really not a difficult project, but make sure its a bit more robust than the original.

Are you sure it was not a break-in looking for your store of expensive malt whisky.

You were more than lucky - we have had some rain over the last couple of weeks and smaller yachts without decent covers have simply sunk at their moorings leaving only the top few feet of mast as indication of their whereabouts.

Jonathan
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I had removed the hinges completely and filled all the holes. Fitting new hinges was a minor outstanding job I was going to do shortly. The hatch ir quite heavy, and still had the catch on it, it never occurred to me it could actually blow away! I suspect I left it propped open slightly for airflow, as I always do.

Thank you folks, Black Sheep actually has a bradwell 18 forehatch he is very generously giving me and I'm picking it up today, who woukd have thought it!
 
steve yates said:
I had removed the hinges completely and filled all the holes. Fitting new hinges was a minor outstanding job I was going to do shortly. The hatch ir quite heavy, and still had the catch on it, it never occurred to me it could actually blow away! I suspect I left it propped open slightly for airflow, as I always do.

Thank you folks, Black Sheep actually has a bradwell 18 forehatch he is very generously giving me and I'm picking it up today, who woukd have thought it!
Click to expand...
Cracking victory for forumites helping each other :)
How deep is the water around your boat? I can't imagine it flew very far
 
steve yates said:
Thank you folks, Black Sheep actually has a bradwell 18 forehatch he is very generously giving me and I'm picking it up today, who woukd have thought it!
Click to expand...
I'm just hoping the thing actually fits after all that! Can't imagine the hatch is different between Mk I and Mk II
A pleasure to finally meet, and a pleasure to Mrs Sheep for me to actually get rid of an item of boaty junk!
 
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