General Info: Lagoon escape hatches, the questions i've always wanted to ask

[Cadence]

Originally Posted by billknny

You do NOT recall correctly. The deck hatches are for "normal" safety escape. The low hull hatches are 100% and ONLY there for capsize egress.

I agree, they are a dumb idea, and badly implemented by almost all boat builders, but required by the rules.

A proper waterproof emergency hatch for near the waterline does NOT look like a deck hatch with a transparent lens! It should be solid aluminum, with a large handwheel working multiple dogs. These are standard issue on commercial craft, and are not used only because they are expensive.

Something like this: https://shop.hamiltonmarine.com/prod...oval-2423.html

You have that right. Not sure about the hand wheel just dogs would do. My thought is why release captive air.

[RoadRacer]

The Lagoon retrofit/recall solution is, I believe, a joke. I will not drill and mount z-brackets to the hull adjacent to the hatch glass on my boat. Before any significant crossing I'll fab blanking cover(s) with tension fasteners to hold the cover in place pulling from inside the stairwell.

[Ataraxia]

Originally Posted by john2445

IIRC, the underbridge escape hatches are in case of fire, not capsizing. EU regs call for escape available from every compartment.

I can't believe nobody has ever heard of Google, it is a search engine that answers all your questions: DIRECTIVE 2013/53/EU OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 20 November 2013 on recreational craft and personal watercraft and repealing Directive 94/25/EC.

(26) Accident statistics show that the risk of inversion of habitable multihull recreational craft is low. In spite of this low risk, it is appropriate to consider that there is a risk of inversion of habitable multihull recreational craft and, if susceptible to such inversion, they should remain afloat in the inverted position and escape should be practicable.
3.8. Escape
All habitable multihull recreational craft susceptible of inversion shall be provided with viable means of escape in the event of inversion. Where there is a means of escape provided for use in the inverted position, it shall not compromise the structure (point 3.1), the stability (point 3.2) or buoyancy (point 3.3) whether the recreational craft is upright or inverted.

[Rennsail]

Unfortunately, another suspected hatch failure in a L440. Both sailors feared dead. Off the East coast of Africa. Discussed in the thread below.



https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums...li-237499.html


FYI, there is another discussion at the link below with a fix for the Goiot hatches in FP cat. (Unsure if it is applicable to a Lagoon).


Escape Hatches – Recipe for Disaster | Gémeaux



I am casually shopping for a cruising cat now. The escape hatches will be one of the first items I will modify after taking possession. Not sure of exactly what I will do, but leaving a hole in both hulls, covered by a sheet of glass, held in place by some form of adhesive will NOT be the solution.

[IslandInfedel]

Originally Posted by MartinR

I think this is due to CE "China Export" regulations. These have very little to do with safety, more with protecting the EU boat industry from competition.

Are the lagoons assembled in China?

[NaClyDog]

Originally Posted by Rennsail

Unfortunately, another suspected hatch failure in a L440. Both sailors feared dead. Off the East coast of Africa. Discussed in the thread below.



https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums...li-237499.html


FYI, there is another discussion at the link below with a fix for the Goiot hatches in FP cat. (Unsure if it is applicable to a Lagoon).


Escape Hatches – Recipe for Disaster | Gémeaux



I am casually shopping for a cruising cat now. The escape hatches will be one of the first items I will modify after taking possession. Not sure of exactly what I will do, but leaving a hole in both hulls, covered by a sheet of glass, held in place by some form of adhesive will NOT be the solution.

Those hatches (as well as those used by other cat manufacturers) have been the subject of a recall.


https://www.cata-lagoon.com/en/news/...escape-hatches

[Rennsail]

Originally Posted by NaClyDog

Those hatches (as well as those used by other cat manufacturers) have been the subject of a recall.


https://www.cata-lagoon.com/en/news/...escape-hatches

I am aware, as I hope are ALL the Lagoon owners are too. But as noted in the thread, the recall "fix" is suspect as well. See the picture in post #63 with one of the retaining brackets missing three months after installation. And not just bashing Lagoon as FP and Nautitech apparently all use Goiot escape hatches at the factory.



In defense of Lagoon, we don't know for sure the Ohana uli lost an escape hatch while underway, as the description of the events are still unclear. But given the recent history and reports from other Lagoon sailors here, it seems like a distinct possibility. If in fact it WAS an escape hatch failure, I would like to know if the hatches had already received the factory recall "fix". (No, I am NOT an attorney).



https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums...-216834-2.html