Repairing 'stay' on forehatch

[yodave]

Hello,

The 'stay' on our forehatch hasn't worked since we bought our yacht a couple of years ago. We may replace or renovate the hatch over the next year or so, as it's now completely opaque but that's a separate issue for another thread.

In the short term, buying a new 'stay' probably means drilling new holes into the existing hatch, so I'm keen to understand if there's any way to repair the existing 'stay'. I don't know how this worked when new, so understanding that would be a start ...and any ideas on how to fix it would be most appreciated.

Please see image below and click to enlarge:



Thanks for any pointers

 

[Searush]

I bought a new one of those a few years back, so the identical item should still be available somewhere. The brass slider is a friction device & can be adjusted to grip the outer sleeve tighter. There should be a small grub screw to hold it in place - on the smaller uper arm, if I remember correctly. It is pretty simple & obvious once you realise how the sleeve is fastened in place, just adjust the "grip" on the outer tube to hold the strut wherever it is opened to.

After a few months it will probably start to slip again, but it is easy enough to adjust & I guess you could slip a bit of warm plastic tube over the inner arm instead to improve the friction grip.

I hope that makes sense. If not just ask a more specific question so I can clarify.

BTW that hatch looks the same as mine & will always have been opaque, it is just uncoloured natural resin & rovings. I actually put deck paint over mine cos the fore cabin was too bright on summer mornings & the damn kids kept getting up at sparrow fart.

 

[Seajet]

yodave,

if you do get to replace the hatch be very careful and inquisitive about the hatch aperture size and if applicable, bolt spacings.

I know someone who bought a ' direct replacement ' hatch from Seateach, the aperture size and bolt spacings were different, other than that it was a complete match !

 

[yodave]

Searush: Thanks for the info. I've had a look online and haven't been able to find an identical replacement so far, so it looks like a repair. I'll have a look for the screw that you mention over the weekend. Hopefully it will make sense to me. It sounds like a lower-tech solution than I had imagined, as originally I had thought that it might have had some sort of oil or water damping.

I had no idea that the hatch was always opaque; I just assumed that it had deteriorated over the years.

Seajet: Thanks also for your input. I'll be careful when it comes time to look for a replacement. I'm actually thinking that refurbishment would be a better option, as there's no way an off the shelf replacement will match the original design, and a re-manufactured one will probably be prohibitively expensive,

Thanks once again to you both!

 

[Seajet]

yodave,

it might be relatively straightforward to drill and tap a thread for a locking / steady screw.

Also have a good look at caravan centres, they sometimes have the same hatches and bits & pieces at a fraction of the price of stuff with ' marine ' on the label !

 

[yodave]

Seajet: Yes drilling a hole might work and is a v useful back-up plan to have. I'll also have a look at caravan retailers, as they may have a wider range.

Thanks again!