[Rhodes22-list] R22 installing portlights and hatches

Tue Sep 17 14:23:09 EDT 2013

Thank you for your thorough reply.
I thought the core was foam and that was an assumption due to the color of the water leaking to the inside, but you're right, when I remove the small hatch, the truth will be revealed. 
My cabin top is also about an inch thick also.
I'm enjoying sailing the boat in the meantime and will visit Stan in Annapolis, at the boat show.
I hope to purchase the larger hatch there and install it before next summer. 
Thanks again
Ric

On Sep 17, 2013, at 12:59 PM, Graham Stewart wrote:

> Ric:
> Unless the 84 boats are different from the 76, I doubt that the cabin top
> core is fibreglass. Hopefully the stain is from the sealant but the fact
> that water is getting through would concern me. The core is likely to be
> wood and, if so, you really do not want to have water leaking there. The
> core can rot very quickly if the wood is unsealed. The core in my boat is
> plywood and is not sealed. On the side decks and foredeck the plywood plys
> had delaminated from each other and the deck skin in places leaving space
> for water to travel once it gets in. Fixing that problem required major
> work.
> 
> If someone can confirm that the core  material in that area for an '84 is
> plywood then I think I would remove the hatch to see if there is ANY water
> getting to the core and in particular determine if there is any rot. If
> there is, and hopefully it is minor, I would remove all of the rotted wood
> core, allow the rest to dry thoroughly and then seal all wood surfaces with
> several coats of un-thickened epoxy. I would then pack the cavity with
> thickened epoxy. Of course, if you make the hole larger to install a larger
> hatch that might allow you to eliminate any rotted core material but I would
> still seal all exposed wood edges with multiple coats of epoxy. Some columns
> advice that you actually cut the wood back between the fibreglass skins
> about 1/2 inch and fill that with thickened epoxy. That is what I plan to do
> if I install a hatch but with all of the stories I hear about leaking
> hatches I am beginning to wonder if they are worth the trouble.
> 
> You might want to get some advice from Stan or others about how large a
> hatch can be installed there without weakening the deck. In my boat the deck
> is quite thick - over an inch I think - so it looks pretty strong to me and
> the double hatches on new boats seem to attest to that - but not all years
> were built the same and you really would not want to do structural damage. 
> 
> In any event, if you think that there is any possibility that water might be
> getting into an unprotected core I would be anxious to get to it before it
> turns into a potentially serious and expensive problem to fix.
> 
> Graham 
> 
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: rhodes22-list-bounces at rhodes22.org
> [mailto:rhodes22-list-bounces at rhodes22.org] On Behalf Of Richard Stott
> Sent: September-17-13 11:07 AM
> To: The Rhodes 22 Email List
> Subject: Re: [Rhodes22-list] R22 installing portlights and hatches
> 
> Graham
> The small hatch on my '84 R22 in front of the mast on centerline is only
> about 10 x 10.
> It leaks a brown stained drip that I can only assume comes from the
> fiberglass core.
> I want to replace it with a 12 x 18 hatch again, on centerline - I think
> there's enough room.
> The new boats have two large hatches, one on either side of the mast and
> farther back. 
> I have to fix the leak and want a larger hatch, but don't want to spend the
> money and time to install two hatches and re-work the fiberglass at the old
> hatch location.
> If any one has done this, I'd appreciate some feedback.
> Ric
> s/v Dadventure
> Hampton Bays NY 
> 
> On Sep 17, 2013, at 10:45 AM, Graham Stewart wrote:
> 
>> Thanks Bob for advice on installing Beckson ports. I didn't realize 
>> that assume is from water in the foam core around the hatch opening 
>> they were so flexible. Does anyone know whether any hatches are 
>> available that can be placed on the Rhodes deck and take the curve or does
> the deck under the hatch need to be flattened - somehow?
>> 
>> Many years ago I removed the original ports entirely, enlarged the 
>> openings and applied a lexan cover over the three ports in one black 
>> strip. It looked good but the material eventually cracked around the 
>> screws because I didn't enlarge the screw holes to allow for expansion 
>> and the material was too thin. The expansion over the large strip also 
>> resulted in the silicone eventually leaking.
>> 
>> The sides of the cabin have a compound curve and I am concerned that 
>> thicker lexan might not be sufficiently flexible to be drawn around it 
>> even if I can find a way to allow for expansion  so either I go back 
>> to using ports or apply separate lexan covers for each opening. At 
>> this point the latter seems most feasible and at substantially less 
>> cost but I would be interested to hear from others who have addressed this
> problem or have opinions about it.
>> 
>> 
>> Graham
>> 
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: rhodes22-list-bounces at rhodes22.org
>> [mailto:rhodes22-list-bounces at rhodes22.org] On Behalf Of BobMellor
>> Sent: September-16-13 10:10 PM
>> To: rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org
>> Subject: Re: [Rhodes22-list] R22 installing portlights and hatches
>> 
>> Graham...
>> I replaced mine with becksons..  The fronts were still identical, but 
>> they do not make the real flexible side ones anymore...  I used the 
>> ones a bit bigger, opened the holes a bit, then mounted them "inside
> out"..  Thus the
>> hard shell part is inside where the alignment did not matter..   Used some
>> wedges where needed.  Then I trimmed the sleeve that stuck out too 
>> much on the outside so they were flush with the trim rings. (The trim 
>> rings bend to the contours easily.) ( need to tell them how you are 
>> mounting so the put the lexan in the right way.  The folks at beckson were
> reveal helpful.
>> 
>> Bob Mellor
>> 
>> 
>> 
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