Phillip Gadbury with ‘Aunty Vee’ has sent me details of how he replaced his hatch which was suffering the usual crazing of the Perspex.
The original was a ‘Canpa ‘ (no longer available) and the nearest fit was a ‘Lewmar 60’ but this is slightly smaller than the Canpa, so whilst the outside of the flange would just cover the old hole, the bolts would have little or nothing to pass through.
So the difference between the inside of the old hole and the smaller hole for the Lewmar had to be made up of structural fiberglass. Phillip did it this way. (note, even after removing the bolts, one corner of the hatch frame had to be cut through to ‘shrink’ it to get it out.)
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He routed out the balsa core round the old opening, built up a former to the size and shape of the new hole, consisting of 50 x 25 softwood on a polythene covered piece of ply (larger than the old hole). The softwood was also covered with polythene. The former was offered up from below, aligned and firmly strutted in place and the gap between the former and the old hole packed with Isopon P40, which is a polyester resin mixed with short glassfibre strands. (There are other makes which do the same thing and I have made my own in the past). Care was taken to press the mix into the routed out core areas and the whole left to set.
The former was then removed and the new work trimmed as required and the new bolt holes drilled (note there are larger diameter bolts near the hinge) and the hatch bedded on Sikaflex 291. The cabin lining was replaced with some adjustment.
No leaks after six months exposure to the elements! |
