Help! Sliding Hatch flew off while trailering!

[J7Archer]

I bought my 2001 26X about 6 weeks ago. I have had two great sailing trips, but today disaster struck (with help from my idiocy). Colorado requires decontamination when moving from one lake to another. They filled my ballast tank with 140 degree water. I drained it afterward and drove away, but the cabin, especially under the v berth was steamy, so I left the sliding hatch forward about 6 inches. I thought that this would help circulate air. I drove home on interstates for about 100 miles. In the last 15 miles the sliding hatch flew off. I was able to go back and find it shattered on the side of the road with a tire track across it. About 80% was in one piece and I recovered enough pieces to lay out the entire profile. I think I will have to have a fiberglass shop repair /rebuild it. I called BWY, but they do not have any and Ezra said that the mold is no longer in existence. Any ideas on how to replace it? Anyone else out there make this stupid mistake?

[Russ]

I bet you could repair it. Prob find a fiberglass or body shop.

Here...since your first post, I'll help you with the images. Maybe some of the experts on this stuff will have an idea.

[J7Archer]

Russ, thanks for putting the pics in!

[JohnCT]

It can be rebuilt. Polyester resin, glass cloth, temporary molds from plywood and foam.
Don't use epoxy, the gel coat repair won't stick to epoxy.

[mastreb]

It's not a fantastic hatch design, sliding on gelcoat as it does.

I'd look at it as an opportunity to upgrade. Bolt on some stainless roller slide tracks (like drawer slides, but flat) in place of the hold-down strips and put a nice flat piece of smoked lexan as the top hatch that overlaps them and the hatch, with a nice skirt to keep the weather out. When pulled back, the front skirt would bed to a weatherstrip gasket along the top front of the hatch opening seal the rain out. Then replace the companionway hatch with matching flat lexan "french door" opening doors that are likewise overlapped for rain proofing. Then a simple slide-up knob latch on one of the companionway doors would hold the hatch and doors shut.

[Wayne nicol]

matt has a good point- also would not take long to take a mold of another hatch in good shape- and to pull one part from it!

[J7Archer]

Thanks for the advice guys. I'm going to call /go to two fiberglass boat repair shops today to see if they can repair what I have left. Alternately, I will try to contact the owners of two 26X s that are in dry storage near my 26D that I am selling. I will see if I can borrow their hatch to make a mold as Wayne nicol suggested. Wayne, could that be done with absolutely no residue, marks or change to the hatch that I borrow from another boat?

[Russ]

It's not a fantastic hatch design, sliding on gelcoat as it does.

I'd look at it as an opportunity to upgrade. Bolt on some stainless roller slide tracks (like drawer slides, but flat) in place of the hold-down strips and put a nice flat piece of smoked lexan as the top hatch that overlaps them and the hatch, with a nice skirt to keep the weather out. When pulled back, the front skirt would bed to a weatherstrip gasket along the top front of the hatch opening seal the rain out. Then replace the companionway hatch with matching flat lexan "french door" opening doors that are likewise overlapped for rain proofing. Then a simple slide-up knob latch on one of the companionway doors would hold the hatch and doors shut.

Yea, a nice smoke Lexan hatch would be very nice. Maybe I should leave my hatch open too.

[Don T]

Hello,
Yeah I would just fix it. You basically have the structure just not all in one piece. Like others have said, I would also make the changes or upgrades while in the process.

Don

[BOAT]

Man that sucks, I'm sorry your hatch got blown.

I was really seriously just sitting down this week with a cad program to do of all things, re-design a new hatch cover for the MacGregor 26M! Here is my story:

Remember the old 57 Tbird? The old tiny 2 seater Ford sports car? Well, they had a removable HARD TOP. I had a convertible car back in the 80's too, (not a Tbird), but that car also had the soft top built in and also stored in my garage I had a hard top for it.

I was planning to design of all things, a THIRD RACCOON STRIPE FOR THE MACGREGOR 26M BOAT!

Yes, you heard me right, all you haters of the double black raccoon stripe will be angry to hear that I plan to add yet ANOTHER STRIPE!! What does this have to do with the 57 Tbird removable hardtop?
Well, I'll TELL you!
I am planning to make a PILOT HOUSE with a DARK BLACK WRAPAROUND WINDOWS racked back to match the other stripes and make a hard top to replace the sliding hatch. Why? You might ask? BECAUSE it's all part of an inside helm and helm seat that I am installing and incorporating into my new companionway ladder that will swing away to allow access to the rear berth and ALSO HAVE a FOLD DOWN HELM SEAT so you can pilot the boat from inside. The "Hard Top With The Raccoon Stripes" will replace the sliding hatch for trips that I will be making when I am retired. I would like to be able to spend days at a time out at sea in bad weather with less exposure. A pilot house is the way to go.

For the usual tooling around home here offshore I can just put the sliding hatch back on, but for the long trips out at sea I want a pilot house. The pilot house will have a tiller too! (a secret design of my own making) but the tiller really won't be needed because of the AP.

I may be buying another hatch from BWY to go with the spare helm seat I already have in the garage. (Another custom project in the works, I am modifying the stock helm seat to increase the sixe of the cockpit) - that one is still in the design stage.

I say, BUILD YOUR OWN HATCH! and why not make it a tall one with windows?? That's what I am gonna do.

(And YES, I have already started a simple design mod that brings the mainsheet AND BOTH jib sheets into the pilothouse!)

[Lee Ward]

Sorry about the hatch, but it's a great oppuunity. Boat, I can't wait to see what you come up with. I wish the M had a tiller. I know a lot of people prefer the wheel, I'm not one of them. I'm one of the coon stripe haters! I don't like the coon stripe so much I've been thinking of other paint schemes...

[walt]

I have not been to this place for some years but..

If you are thinking of doing that repair yourself, this might be a place to at least call:

http://www.plasticareinc.com/ (Denver, CO)

I don’t know about now but it used to be a family deal where you could go in and get advice and they would have all the supplies you would need. And if you don’t want to do the repair yourself, they may know someone local who does that sort of thing.

But.. my info could be way out of date.

I have had that 140 degree decontamination done twice both times at Elevenmile after I had gone to Lake Powell. It’s free.. but what a waste of water and energy. They will fill the ballast tank (I don’t know about the X but I think its 150 gallons for the S) all the way to the top - then dump it out. It takes about 20 - 25 minutes to fill and the second time I had this done, I was talking to the operator and we were not watching the fill and it overflowed into the boat for some time.

If you don’t mind me asking, what lake were you at where they required the decontamination before you left?

[Bill at BOATS 4 SAIL]

I think I have a used one. I'll take a look.

[BOAT]

You guys think I'm joking, don't you.

[Russ]

Bill. If you have one for the X, I bet you would make his day.


BOAT...ever consider a dodger. Mine can totally enclose the cabin with companionway doors.