Lazarette hatch

[Pat McL]

Has anyone come up with an elegant method of seriously battening down the lazarette hatch on the type 1's?

[robb_black]

I was wondering the same thing but I have so many other fixes right now that this one is way down the list.  Originally the hatch was held down by a thin bungee type cord that was attached at each end to the scupper pipes and then hooked onto a hook that was attached to the bottom of the hatch.  I was just planning on replacing this little bungee cord with another little bungee cord.

[kickingbug1]

    i have a friend who put hinges on his. i just use a little thinker bungee and it stays in the hook better

[Craig Weis]

I have no good way to assure these hatches stay closed.
I don't worry about things disappearing from people with sticky fingers,
nor do I worry about these hatches flopping open while sailing in a spirited fashion.
I have been on other people's boats and found the locking apparatus too hard on my legs.
skip.

[B.Hart]

   I have the bungee and it comes unhooked very easy. Sometimes when I don't want it to.   BILL

[Pat McL]

We've been knocked over once or twice, and imho the lazarette hatch is a very weak link. I have shot the thing off its bungee with just a hose cleaning the cockpit, and since it is just too hot to sail, we are in refit mode. With a hinge, it will interfere with the tiller. (We use a Cansail tiller lock mounted on the bottom of the tiller which really works well). Lashing would probably be the best course for now. Really don't want to provide a hole in the cockpit to the  briny deep. --- Pat

[Steve Ullrich]

Can you tell me more about the Cansail tiller lock? I noticed one for sail on eBay...  I'm considering replacing my tiller tamer as it is pretty lame.

We've been knocked over once or twice, and imho the lazarette hatch is a very weak link. I have shot the thing off its bungee with just a hose cleaning the cockpit, and since it is just too hot to sail, we are in refit mode. With a hinge, it will interfere with the tiller. (We use a Cansail tiller lock mounted on the bottom of the tiller which really works well). Lashing would probably be the best course for now. Really don't want to provide a hole in the cockpit to the  briny deep. --- Pat

[Pat McL]

Hi Steve

[Pat McL]

Hi Steve,       Should not have hit "enter" when I did!  The Cansail lock is a simple wedge locking device. A line is stretched across the cockpit under the tiller, and the arm on the lock holds the line tight via the wedge. Dale (Multimedia) Smith suggested to mount the device under the tiller as he has done, rather than over as the instructions advise. This allows you to completely release the line in a split second. He also suggested, as I have done with great results, using short loops of bungee at each end of the line as a shock, and for fine tuning. I have been able to hold course on the 16 for 30 minutes at a time on a reach with this, (steady wind). Retail was about $45 if I remember correctly. Keeping a little tension on the Cansail allows the rudder to feel like the boat is much larger, and makes tiller work easier. --- Pat    (Still looking for ideas re the hatch).

[Steve Ullrich]

I decided to order a Cansail Tiller Lock today.

http://www.cansail.com/

It looks like a much better tiller lock, and it is much more like the lock I had on my Hunter 23.  I liked that one a lot, it was mounted under the tiller too and was quick and easy to lock/release.  I've been reluctant to have any more lines in the cockpit, especially in front of the main sheet, but it looks like the way to go.  As for keeping a slight lock on the tiller line... I used to do that on the Hunter too.  It caused that line to wear faster and it didn't lock very well after it chafed.  To stiffen up the tiller on my 16 after replacing the bolts holding the rudder on I snugged up the bolts just a little.  The tiller doesn't flop back and forth quite so easily and that helped the tiller tamer do it's job a little better.  The tiller tamer still didn't do much of a job though. Some of that probably do to where I mounted it but, again, I wanted to keep lines out of the way of the main sheet...  Looking forward to getting the Cansail lock.  Thanks for the lead.

Hi Steve,      Should not have hit "enter" when I did!  The Cansail lock is a simple wedge locking device. A line is stretched across the cockpit under the tiller, and the arm on the lock holds the line tight via the wedge. Dale (Multimedia) Smith suggested to mount the device under the tiller as he has done, rather than over as the instructions advise. This allows you to completely release the line in a split second. He also suggested, as I have done with great results, using short loops of bungee at each end of the line as a shock, and for fine tuning. I have been able to hold course on the 16 for 30 minutes at a time on a reach with this, (steady wind). Retail was about $45 if I remember correctly. Keeping a little tension on the Cansail allows the rudder to feel like the boat is much larger, and makes tiller work easier. --- PTA   (Still looking for ideas re the hatch).

[NateD]

Does anyone else have a hasp on the hatch? I would still like to put a hinge on the back side to make sure it doesn't open up at an inopportune time. What I would really like to do is a build a completely custom hatch. If you had a hinge on the backside of the current hatch, you would have a difficult time fully opening it without hitting the tiller while underway. But if you cut it in half the short way, and put hinges on the sides (think French doors), you could open the two halves without interfering with the tiller. Of course you would need the two halves to overlap where they met, or some other way to make that joint waterproof, which is where the completely custom part comes in. Then again there is always something to be said for keeping it simple.....

[Pat McL]

Nate,

The hasp is definitely not stock, but is elegant in its application. I like it. Perhaps with an "L" hook underneath on the transom side, it would secure up as well as it needed to be. Have not found a hinge that would work for the same reasons that you noted. Thanks, ---Pat

[NateD]

Pat,

   We think alike. After I posted that I started thinking about how to secure the other side and thought of a L bracket as well. Another project to add to the list....

Nate

[NateD]

Ok, I got around to making a bracket for the backside of the hatch, so now my lazarette hatch will stay in place through just about anything. The bracket is some flat stock aluminum from the local hardware store. I don't have a vise, so I had to improvise on the bending a bit, with less than spectacular aesthetic results (but highly functional). I coated the flat stock with some plasti-cote to cut down on the rubbing against the fiberglass, and I also got a small 90 degree piece of aluminum to make a bracket to tie a rope onto. The other end of the rope is secured to my scupper drain pipe. I was recently reading about rules for offshore racing and I remember one of them being that there had to be a lanyard on the hatch board since losing the hatch would leave a big hole in the boat. That got me thinking that if I removed the lazarette hatch in rough conditions (maybe to bail water from the bilge or to grab the gas can), it would leave the boat pretty vulnerable if the thing fell overboard. So a lanyard sounded like a good idea. I also left the little bracket in place to use with the bungee cord, but I don't think I will be using it with the new configuration.

New bracket in place:




Close up of the brackets:




The whole thing in place:




Hatch closed and hasp secured: