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Old 24-04-2008, 19:26   #1
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REBUILT Hatches for $120.00/ea

This is what my estimate is for removing my old hatches, removing the old plexiglas, the old gasket and completely cleaning the old hatch inside and out........

Then painting the hatch with a "primer", and one coat of "pearl gray" POLYURETHANE, new gasket, new Plexiglas installed with Sikaflex, and the entire Hatch installed on the existing teak strip that was stripped and re-varnished.

The alternative for these nasty, old, "cosmetically" disgusting 1982 model hatches would have cost me app. $950.00/ea for three of the same size and app. $1200.00 for the one larger hatch forward over the V-Berth, a total cost of app. $4,000.00 for new hatches.

I'm VERY happy with this decision and the result is all new "looking" hatches............and since I've painted my "non-skid" the deck looks like a new boat!

NOT a big deal, not a lot of labor, but saved me "wads" of cash!

I'll try to get pics so you can see what I'm talking about.

All you gents that have been thinking about your ugly hatches, DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT !..... You'll be happy you did !
As I said, NOT A BIG DEAL !!!

Oh, and I had the first hatch "POWDER-COATED".....
Forgetaboutit......... that don't work !
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Old 24-04-2008, 19:39   #2
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Where are you getting these done? Our Lewmar Superhatches all need the lids rebuilt. Looking for alternatives to Select Plastics. I am sure they wil do a great job, but the $$$ is 1/2 or a new hatch!

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Old 24-04-2008, 20:24   #3
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Chris... my read is that he did it himself. The cost seems to be materials only.
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Old 24-04-2008, 20:25   #4
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Absolutely correct, speedoo......

I did the labor myself, sorry if I didn't make that clear, but, as I said, it's really not a big deal to go out and find a "plexiglas shop"....... take off the old plastic and tell them you need one just like it............... and then take the hatch to a "gasket" shop for a good fitting gasket.........
other than that was just my labor......clean the aluminum with whatever is available.
I painted the frames with a "sponge" brush, came out great!

I just think it's crazy to pay somebody outrageous prices to do this when it can be done very easily by a novice......... I've certainly NEVER done this before.
And if you've checked around for prices you know what I'm talking about.

And I will admit that I was a little INTIMIDATED when I first started this project!
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Old 25-04-2008, 09:57   #5
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The whole process of repairing a hatch can actually be tricky. In my experience, DIY jobs do not have the same lasting quality that you would get from a manufacturer. A good repair shop will access to all the proper chemical primers and adhesives that are matched not only with the right glass material but also the metal frame. Another advantage to getting these things done professionally is that the job usually comes with a guarantee against leaks and malfunctions.

Your cost of materials sounds about right but your time must be worth something, no? Don’t get me wrong, good job getting all of that organized and I hope that they work out for you over the next several years. I just found that your $120 per hatch estimate a little off as you didn’t account for your labour, which is generally the most important/expensive aspect of a repair job. Just an opinion from someone who has had many DIY hatch repair jobs sent back after one or two years because the seal was not made properly.
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Old 25-04-2008, 10:48   #6
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You'll never recover the $$$ that you put into a boat, but you CAN recover the time you spend on the boat ... it's called sailing.
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Old 25-04-2008, 10:59   #7
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Hmm, maybe. But I tend to feel that money is fleeting while my time is the most valuable thing there is. I don't know about you but I only have so many hours on this earth and I plan on living each of them. You can always go and make more money but you'll never get that sunny afternoon back that you spent cleaning old hatches in some dirty shop or yard.
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Old 25-04-2008, 13:38   #8
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If you pay someone else you still have to spend the time earning that money. Then it comes down to how much you earn compared to how much the pro's charge.

But there can be the added satisfaction of doing it yourself.
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Old 25-04-2008, 18:19   #9
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Benjamaphone, please don't forget to mention that you, as a commercial vendor selling hatches, have something to gain by people NOT doing the work themselves. Just thought that should be pointed out.
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Old 25-04-2008, 19:03   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Benjamaphone View Post
The whole process of repairing a hatch can actually be tricky. In my experience, DIY jobs do not have the same lasting quality that you would get from a manufacturer. A good repair shop will access to all the proper chemical primers and adhesives that are matched not only with the right glass material but also the metal frame. Another advantage to getting these things done professionally is that the job usually comes with a guarantee against leaks and malfunctions.

Your cost of materials sounds about right but your time must be worth something, no? Don’t get me wrong, good job getting all of that organized and I hope that they work out for you over the next several years. I just found that your $120 per hatch estimate a little off as you didn’t account for your labour, which is generally the most important/expensive aspect of a repair job. Just an opinion from someone who has had many DIY hatch repair jobs sent back after one or two years because the seal was not made properly.
BEN.......
WITH ALL DUE RESPECT......
I wasn't gonna get into this, but since you have responded, I will.

I can appreciate your concern about doing it right, hence, using the proper adhesives and gaskets......and mainting the ATKINS-HOYLE name, but don't we, as sailors have access to the very same adhesives and gaskets just as you do ? I am a business owner and have not found ANYTHING that I couldn't purchase, usually at wholesale, commercial or otherwise.

After checking your prices for a rebuild and checking the price, for example, the gasket used for the plexiglas, your company charges $45.00 for each gasket if I ordered from you, whereas, I found the same gasket from a local sealant/gasket company for five (5) hatches for the same price, and yes, it IS the same gasket.

I'm not knocking your right to charge whatever you may, because I do the same in my business. I'm sure you do a very competent, professional job, but I enjoy working on my boat, and to be quite frank, I was surprised as to what little work it actually took.

I removed the hatch, cleaned off all the sealant, sprayed with a primer, "foam-brushed" with a "pearl gray" polyurethane, layed down SIKAFLEX for the lens, glued down the new gasket and re-installed the hatch with silicone for a total of, maybe, 4 hours (not counting 24hrs for paint and sealants to set).

I DO consider my labor as being valuable... and in this case it was worth about $100.00/hr, which is, from what I can tell, what the professionals charge, plus whatever is charged for the lense, gasket and sealants.

But your price does not include restoring the aluminum, correct?
Which, in my case, was the big EYESORE that I wanted to correct....
It looked disgusting!

Now they look beautiful, and I'm very happy with the result.

I appreciate your input, but having said that, I have the money to send all my hatches to you, but did not want to pay that price.

And one more point, if your response is that you use the proper "sealnts", "adhesives" and "lens", what are the products that you use that are better than what DIY'ers use that is availabe to only you and not the public?

If we use a good marine silicone, and the proper gasket, WALLAH!
I don't understand why it would leak.

I hope I've made my point without offending you, because ATKINS-HOYLE, in my opinion, put out a very good product with these hatches, mine have been on since 1982, but were due for a rebuild, which can be done by anybody with a "pea-brain", I proved that!
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Old 25-04-2008, 19:31   #11
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And one more point about DIY sailors sending their hatch to you, as you said, after a couple of years due to leaking.................

the leak will be one of three points:
1.) the sealant between the lens and the hatch, which would be simple for a DIY to correct IMHO....
2.) the gasket seal when the hatch is in the "closed" position, which, again, is simple for a DIY to correct.....
3.) and the sealant between the bottom of the hatch and the deck, again, is simple for a DIY to correct...which you would not be able to correct.

Just a simple observation on my part, again, no offense intended.

as my niece sez, this ain't "rocket-surgery"
I know, I know..... brain surgery and rocket science......

Now if we're talkin' about a PERKINS rebuild, I know a lot of you guys could do this blind-folded, but leave me outta that one!
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Old 25-04-2008, 20:50   #12
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I gave up years ago trying to get paint to stick to my aluminum hatches, ports and port lights. They look fine in grey. The aluminum I cleaned up with some fine Scotchbrite pads. I also replaced the gaskets myself. I could not see paying someone to do such a simple task.
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Old 26-04-2008, 09:30   #13
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Scotte - You MAY notice that Ben has the Commercial Vendor Branding below his screen name - he makes no bones about being a vendor. We presume that if people can read, they can understand that. Of course a vendor is going to tout their services as better than a novice. Probably true. Doesn't mean that DIYers can't do it. OTOH, there are plenty of folks out there who don't want to, or can't do it themselves. Hense the professional services and businesses that exist in the world.

But, HC is also right on - it just isn't that difficult to DIY - and IMHO, not worth the cost of shipping it off to A & H. I remember when *I* ordered just the arm and dogs - even then, they thought it was best to ship it to them to repair ... we are talking a bolt (or two) to unscrew and screw back on. ::shrug:: I do not pretend to understand their philosophy on that. Most of us have time, but don't have excess $$$.

If I had any worthwhile advice to pass on to Ben, it would probably be along the lines of: Understand what component of the boating community you have as an audience and adjust your mantra to that. --- worth every cent he paid for it!!!
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Old 26-04-2008, 11:41   #14
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I would just point out to Benjamaphone that there are other very well respected commercial vendors on this forum that actually try to help other members of the forum with their expertise. These vendors get business because of their helpful, professional attitudes, not by trying to dissuade people from doing work themselves.
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Old 28-04-2008, 05:32   #15
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Why so hostile?

As a matter of fact, we do supply a DIY hatch/port repair kit. The only reason that we don't push that instead of repairs is that, like I say, the DIY repair jobs frequently get sent back to us.

The primer that we use cannot be purchased unless you have a specific licence to carry, buy and sell it. There are many types of primers that are used, many may be sufficient, most are not. This is why we use an industrial grade material that is strictly controlled (at least in North America). Like I said in my first post, I hope that you found a combination that will work. I in no way want you hatches to leak! I want you to be happy; I’m just offering an opinion to buffer people’s expectations for their DIY hatch repair job that starts leaking in 2 seasons.

As far as "dissuading people"; I have posted several times on the topic of hatch repairs, helping people with the same techniques that I use myself. I have provided these methods with the board in good faith because I feel that I can help some others who have helped me.

I take offense to being labelled as a greedy commercial rat and I hope that an intelligent person can see through the obvious commercial discrimination that some people put out to try and advance their own bias.

Scotte, thank you for your input. I appreciate your concern and hope that you now see that I have nothing to hide. My presence on these boards is not simply to "drum up business" but to gain from and contribute to the vast pool of knowledge and experience that is found here.

Deepfrz, I apologize that my experience has not helped you directly. However, I would say that I have contributed to this board and have proved helpful to many people. I hope to one day provide that same assistance to a subject that you may find interesting.
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