Lewmar Hatch removal/Gasket Lewmar superhatch

[arjand]

Hi all, I attach 3 pics of small lewmar hatches that I have so far not been able to remove. The boat was built in the late 80's and I believe these were original. Does anybody recognize these and would anybody be able to tell me how to remove the hatch? Second: It turns out that my bigger lenses are the Lewmar Superhatch (produced 1980-1987, parts no longer available....). Although the gasket is still soft I am inclined to replace them. Looking at the profile of the gasket for the Lewmar Ocean series is looks a lot like the gasket on the Superhatch. Does anybody have experience with this? Thanks so much for any comments!! Ari

[Tetepare]

Gasket looks OK to me. Clean it with Simple Green, then regularly treat with ArmorAll or similar product.


To remove the entire hatch (why?) you have to remove all the screws, then pry out the frame. Clean the heck out of it, removing all old sealant from screws, frame, and deck. Reseal with butyl tape or marine foam tape (West Marine).



If it's not leaking, don't mess with it.

[Calif.Ted]

Tetepare is completely correct, the hinge pins are a PITA, no longer made by Lewmar, but available for about $60. I was able to locate some NIB hatches at Minney's for $200 and it was easier and cheaper for me to replace them, I've still got a spare in the closet. If they are bad I'd consider sending them to hatchmasters for a rebuild. If you do it yourself (giant PITA) they have parts and instructions on their site. I've also used the impellor lube to condition old gaskets. Here's some videos may be helpful.
https://hatchmasters.com/how-to/
To remove the frames from the lights you must remove small screws that almost always require extreme measures that may be destructive.

[arjand]

Thank you so much already!!! I indeed do not intend to remove the frames that are attached to the deck (no leaks) but am struggling with the Hinge pins. I see multiple people over the years struggling with this but have so far not been able to find an answer. Ho do I get the hinge pin out? I read about people drilling them out (at an angle)? Is that the only way forward? Sorry to bother you again but reading your answer you seemed to have been there.... I also spoke and emailed with Tony of Hatchmaster so I do know the names of my hatches etc... (at least now I know what I look for)

[sailcrazy]

Our 1989 Taswell has similar-looking Lewmar hatches. And we've had continual problems with the hinges not holding the hatch open. After several attempts to rebuild them, I finally gave up, bought some 10" hatch springs, and bolted/screwed them in place. I now have only a single open position, but they stay open, are easy to close, and it seems to work well! I did buy a plexiglass drillbit for drilling bolt holes into the lens, though, to prevent cracking; it worked perfectly.

[gamayun]

I have an 88 boat with what looks like those same hatches. IIRC, the pins slide out, but if the plastic pieces are broken (which is why the hinge won't stay open), that could be preventing the pins from coming out easily. I got replacement hinge set from HatchMasters. Kinda expensive for just little pieces of nothing, but worth it to not have to replace the whole hatch....

[thinwater]

Remove the entire hatch. You will have no leaks if you bed with butyl, but you have a good chance of breaking something you can replace or breaking a screw if you try to take just the lid off the boat.

[smallFry]

Open the hatch. The pins can be driven in using a screwdriver and light taps with a hammer. Pull the retaining ring when it’s exposed. Drive the pin out using the hammer/screwdriver.

The pins don’t move if the hatch is closed.

[arjand]

Again a big thanks to everybody and apologies for not being clearer, my question focuses on the hinch pin but if I understand it correctly from smallfry it should be relatively straightforward. The caps on either sides have become hard/brittle (and stuck when deck was repainted by PO) so I guess they will be collateral damage. Will try this weekend!! Cruisersforum rocks!!