Weather Stripping for Hatches - Any Ideas ?

[windtraveler]

Hi there - my husband and I own a 1975 a Hallberg Rassy Rasmus...it's (for the most part) in great shape...except for the weather stripping around our anchor locker, forward hatch, and engine room (which opens up from our cockpit floor, great feature for access...but not in terms of keeping water out)....

we cannot afford all new hatches (as they themselves are in good shape) - but NEED to replace the weather stripping around them. Does anyone have any advice on a good product? Something like this could work, but if there is something better out there we'd love to hear about it!

Thanks!
Brittany

[barnakiel]

Gaskets?

Rubber house gaskets do fine. (in our boat we actually used foam and it works just as good).

Avoid neoprene - they are fine but then they convert into black powder that will cover everything in that comes in contact with the gasket.

b.

[windtraveler]

thanks barnakiel - but do you mean rubber hose gaskets, right? Not "house gasket" - just want to make sure i have this right. i am not much of a gasket expert and i wouldn't put it past myself to search high and low for some house gasket that doesn't exist...haha! good point about neoprene...thanks again!

[Ocean Girl]

Mcmaste Carr, carries an assortment of gasket material, some have a sticky side some you use an adhesive, like contact cement.
McMaster-Carr

I replaced all my gaskets for my ports and hatches with gasket material from mcmaster Carr, just copy the original gasket size. Cheers and have fun on your beautiful boat.
Erika

[Ocean Girl]

p.s.
need more pictures on your blog (of boat) inquiry minds wanna live vicarious through you two.
Erika

[windtraveler]

Erika!! Thanks for the link!! I will definitely check that out...I'm liking what I'm seeing already...

As for pics - we have a whole slew under "eye candy" - and then links to some picasa albums...

But there will be more...just you wait...there will be more

Thanks again!

[barnakiel]

Originally Posted by windtraveler

... do you mean rubber hose gaskets, right? Not "house gasket" - just want to make sure i have this right...

house gaskets - used in homes for windows and doors

mine came from IKE and were sold in pre-winter period

interestingly, they are not like the foam thing but indeed more like a flattened hose or a sleeve with glue on one side

when they were gone we cut strips of the foam tha is used for karrimats (trekking sleeping mattress) and used normal glue, these are fine too (except that our hatches are not on deck level, you might need something real resistant to water pressure for any deck level hatch

b.

[Ocean Girl]

Originally Posted by windtraveler

Erika!! Thanks for the link!! I will definitely check that out...I'm liking what I'm seeing already...

As for pics - we have a whole slew under "eye candy" - and then links to some picasa albums...

But there will be more...just you wait...there will be more

Thanks again!

You are very welcome, and I didn't see those pitures so will look again.
Cheers,
Erika

[IceMan]

Get EDPM gasket material from McMaster Carr. It comes in 25 foot lengths. The part number for 1" by 3/8" is 8694K83 and is 9.98 a roll. It is weather resistant, always recovers it's shape and is UV risistant. Just tonight I replaced my engine room hatch with it. There was nothing wrong with the old stuff except the way the builders installed it 30 years ago. Cut a straight line to pass a couple nuts and it leaked in driving rain. Like I said, there was nothing wrong with it after 30 years. Hope this helps.
WD

[James S]

I used neoprene when I rebuilt my port holes and for a deck hatch I built..I ordered it from an outfit in the UK but you may find it localy...its closed cell and is easy to compress like a foam.