 lthough I built my boat carefully, one thing that wasn’t a success was the hatch over the head. It looked great, all varnished mahogany and brass hardware, and fit perfectly aboard my classic gaff cutter, but it leaked. The slow dripping made itself felt belowdecks. After putting up with the situation for seven years, I finally decided it was high time to install a better hatch. I had several options. I could make a new wooden hatch, but there was no reason to believe it wouldn’t leak like the old one. Moreover, the |
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flat hatch always suffered in the sun, and I had to revarnish frequently to keep up its appearance. In the end I opted to put in a stainless-steel hatch with a Plexiglas panel to let in light and large neoprene gaskets to keep water out. I wanted a hatch that would not stick out like the proverbial sore thumb on Mallard’s deck, so bright polished stainless wouldn’t work. Mariner’s Hardware made a custom hatch for me and powdercoated the metal parts in a tasteful off-white paint that was better-suited to my boat’s appearance. |
