Sealing a leaky hatch when leaving the boat

[workmaster2n]

I’ve recently purchased a new to me catamaran. There are 2 forward opening hatches in the salon for ventilation. The previous owner showed me how one of the hatches would sometimes leak, but he and his wife figured out the seal was sometimes getting pinched. He showed me how to close and check the hatch.

I stayed on board for a week and encountered some rain and never had issues with the hatch. I had to leave the boat for 6 weeks, and when I came back the hatch had indeed leaked. And unfortunately we suffered from torrential rain during this 6 week period.

The towel I had put under the hatch was no match, and water had traveled down the settee and into the locker where my inverter was, allowing the magic smoke to escape.

I’ve just spent 3 days cleaning the boat from the water ingress and mold, and unfortunately need to leave the boat again soon. I haven’t been able to identify the source of the leak in the hatch (whether it’s a bad seal, needs to be rebedded, the lens is loose, etc).

Does anybody have a technique for keeping the water out while I’m gone? Should I just close the hatch then silicone the heck out of it? Is there a technique for attaching plastic to the inside of the hatch in case water does come inside? I’m thinking trying to direct the water to a big bucket so it doesn’t go into my storage lockers again. Maybe tape a plastic drop cloth just below the inside of the hatch and then create a bit of a form that drops into a bucket?

[Dockhead]

I had a leaking hatch; blessedly now solved by replacing it.


I covered the hatch with a tarp, heavily weighted down around the edges, to keep the hatch from leaking when I was off the boat.

[coopec43]

You need some hatch covers not only to stop leaks but to stop U/V degradation of the acrylic hatch lenses.

[coopec43]

It is easy to make up fiberglass hatch covers. Once you have the mold made up (2 hour job) you can churn out as many as is necessary.

You can see one of my hatch covers (with the lead weight on it) but now I use "Occy straps" or "bungee cords" or "elastic luggage straps"(?) to hold them in place.
Notice also the rain deflectors on the windows!

[jamhass]

In addition to the previous suggestions, if you know where the leak is (and it is quite localized) I have have good results using wax as a temporary and removable sealant. Wax from toilet rings is great and readily available.

[coopec43]

Leaking hatches are a perennial problem for boaties. The forums are full of boat owners sharing advice on how to overcome the problem. Even on the best yacht (in my view Hallberg Rassy) if you haven't got a problem now you will have in the future

I could think of nothing worse than waking up in the middle of the night to find the blanket saturated.

Of course the fiberglass hatch covers can be removed in an instant and they will save me having to replace the acrylic lens in around ten years time.

Cruisers Forum
https://www.cruisersforum.com › forums › weather-strip...

Weather Stripping for Hatches - Any Ideas</h3>
4 Aug 2010 — Hi there - my husband and I own a 1975 a Hallberg Rassy ... hatch , and. ... Cut a straight line to pass a couple nuts and it leaked in driving rain ...