Hatches

The next thing to be done is to cut holes in the deck. If you poke around on the web, you'll find all sorts of different configurations, including some really nice round hatches fitted with store-bought hatch covers, but needless to say, I didn't buy any of those, because I'm a cheap bastard. I just used the template that came with the plans to mark and then cut out the opening with a jigsaw. I'm also holding the rim piece, which I cut out using the band saw that Road Dog rescued from the house behind the cotton gin in Northport, and that nearly took his finger off years later. Not shown are the stiffeners and doubler pieces that will get glued underneath so that when it's all glued up, the deck at the opening will be triple thickness.

To keep things neat and drip-free, I masked the opening so that when the rip piece was in place, there was about an eighth-inch gap between the tape and the rim. I then slathered everything with thickened epoxy and held everything in place with a grasp of clamps, making a nice little fillet around the outside edge with a gloved finger. In the photo at right, I've taken the masking tape up, but you can still see some remnants of the tape under the c-clamps.

The hatch covers are easy to make. You cut out the hatch frame pieces and clamp the hatch pieces to them, which holds the hatch into the correct curve, and the whole thing is reinforced with glass tape and glued together.  After everything's cured, i brushed a couple coats of unthickened epoxy on, paying particular attention to the edges, to make sure they'll be waterproof.