The Hatch Issue!

[Ceirwan]

In my bid to make my yacht more seaworthy i am now paying attention to the hatch situation.

Currently i have a standard sliding hatch, housed in a garage, or sea hood, this is great when the hatch is pulled over, no water down below or anything, even if a wave sweeps the deck. (Or at least only drips)

The problem comes when its bad weather, and you need to go on deck for whatever reason, sail change, gear failure, etc, how does one solve the issue of, slide the hatch back in order to lift one of the boards out, and then a wave goes straight down it!
While a bubble hatch helps you see around, it doesn't fix this problem!

A sprayhood would work in lesser conditions, but in severe weather, i'd imagine that it wouldn't stand up to any sizeable waves. Has anyone come up with a solution to this?

(And no, i don't want to convert to junk rig and run all lines below deck! /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif )

 

[damo]

If you can't have a blister doorway (a la Contessa, Van de Stadt, Warrior 35), and don't want a sprayhood, how about a board hinged at its top edge on the aft edge of your sliding hatch. It would replace the upper washboard (or no washboards at all?), and give some protection from water while you move in or out.

Just a thought... /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[CPD]

If the weather is so bad that you cant get out the hatch for fear of getting swamped, then you should have already been out to do what you should have done before it got that bad, if you see what I mean. I used 2 elastic hoops to secure the washboards in place and jumped out the hatch and shut it again as soon as I was out.

 

[damo]

Some more blue sky thinking....fit a fabric sleeve like on polar pyramid tents. It should keep out everything but solid water while going in and out /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[NickiCrutchfield]

Nice thinking Damo. I like your line of thought.

 

[damo]

I just realised that I said "solid water" - which is what tube entrances on pyramid tents are designed for of course /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[Ceirwan]

I'm not talking about being swamped, i'm talking about waves coming over the deck, which happens on a good slog to windward, and i imagine will happen if hove to, or generally out in very bad weather, theres always a chance you'll need to go on deck for something or other.

Good ideas guys, keep em coming! /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[Guest]

Have you considered a hard equivalent of the spray hood ? I'm thinking of something along the lines of an old British Railways engine driver's cab. That should keep the wet stuff out, except from directly behind. Sort of an open wheel-house.
Whether such a structure ought to built as strong as the proverbial brick out-house, or designed to be carried away by a green one presents an interesting dilemma ...

 

[Ceirwan]

Its something i've thought about, but i certainly wouldn't want it to be a permanent fixture! /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[michael_w]

On two boats I've had a canvas flap. It fixes to the sliding part of the hatch and hangs down instead of washboards to stop water heading below. Battens and lead weights stop it falling into the companionway.

Sure it won't be much use if your being pooped. But it stops the spray and drips but allows easy egress. Also has the advantage of the below decks crew can use white light at night without blinding those in the cockpit.

The next one I have made will be fixed by turn buttons. The popper one went swimming in the Atlantic during a rather rough passage from Bermuda to the Azores. Its loss was sorely missed.

 

[David_Jersey]

What about a Pramhood over just the companionway? Even in Fabric (doesn't have to be fully folding) would probably be more robust than a full width Sprayhood - but could be a solid or semi solid structure

Am thinking sort of like:-

Although of course with a Turret as well is an option /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

http://www.corribee.org/jester1.html


I would be tempted for somewhere in between, fixed steel tubes with a permanent plastic glass window and fabric top and sides - folding or not. with decent viz forward would maybe make a decent option to an Astrodome?

 

[andlauer]

Bonjour
I've heard about a flexible hatch. The metallic structure is replaced by inflated tubes made from bicycles tubes.
First it allows you to turn the deck winch handles (those stupid things on non Junk) and it flattens when a heavy wave is coming in.
Well designed it could have the same effect as Moitessier's car tube on the air intakes : it is open when there are no waves and watter proff when a wash comes in.
Eric

 

[Noddy]

Perhaps of limited use to you but another chance to bang on about the virtues of multihulls.

Richard Woods, a very experienced cat designer / sailor, had to abandon his boat some time ago. It was later recovered, still afloat.

I remember him writing that the water swamped the cockpit and they had to shut the hatch. This, he said, was the only time it had happened in his experience. I guess that was one of the reasons he abandoned ship!

The hatch on my 30' Iroquois catamaran stayed dry through some fairly bouncy weather. I guess this is because cats sit on top of the water rather than in it.

One problem though - the hatch is not in a garage so waves coming over the front found their way into the boat. Fried my laptop.

Paul

 

[NickiCrutchfield]

Eric,
Yves Gelinas has such a system on his Alberg 30 Jean du Sud. I think he used fire hose with an inflated rubber tube inside. This make a great deal of sense to me.
Nicki

 

[helixkimara]

[ QUOTE ]
Eric,
Yves Gelinas has such a system on his Alberg 30 Jean du Sud. I think he used fire hose with an inflated rubber tube inside. This make a great deal of sense to me.
Nicki

[/ QUOTE ]

If (the people who havn't seen it) you can get your hands on Gelinas DVD, his "master piece" of his trip around the world in a 30 ft. yacht. It's worth watching (10 times)

 

[NickiCrutchfield]

I concur; it is a masterpiece of a film. Properly shot by a sailor who is also a professional film maker. You can get it from www.capehorn.com. Yves seems like a great bloke, in fact he sent me the DVD before I had sent him the money. I greatly appreciate that kind of trust. Apparently his wind vane is also very good.