Lazaret Hatch Cover

[Triton106]

Hi All,

As many of you know the west coast Triton lazaret hatch cover is made of teak (or some other kind of wood) and is leaky. On top of it my starboard cover is warping badly. I need to replace it and need advice on what is the best option and construction method. My options are: (1) make a fiber glass one similar to the east coast cover, (2) make another wood cover from marine plywood, (3) try to correct the warping by steam bending it somehow.

I would appreciate your input as to which method is the best option and why. Additionally, any tips on contrstruction method for the three methods will be much appreciated.

Best regards,

[Capn_Tom]

Could you provide a picture of the hatch?

[Tim]

Forget about somehow repairing the old cover. I doubt it's worth any more effort than simply removing it and throwing it away.

I am assuming from your overall description that you're talking about the cockpit locker lids. (A lazarette typically refers to a storage area beneath the poop deck.) Plywood lids are easy to build and are more stable than solid wood, but plywood has its own issues as well. Still, lids built from high quality plywood that is properly prepared and treated for its proposed use would likely be sufficient for many years, depending upon your expectations for the job.

A good fiberglass lid that looks good and works well in all ways is necessarily a more complicated fabrication. A lot depends on the actual design and setup of the existing lid and, more importantly, the gutter system and related areas. I am not sure how yours is set up, so I can't offer any particularly valuable insight at this time.

For the benefit of those of us who aren't familiar with the details of the West Coast Triton cockpit setup, some additional information (and photos) would be helpful.

[MikeD]

It's along shot I know, but someone is parting out a Commander on Ebay and happens to be selling the aft hatch cover.

Here's the listing: Commander hatch

[Bill]

My east coast Triton had teak hatches that were badly deteriorated and unrepairable. I made a new set out of balsa cored fiberglass. It was pretty simple and I was more satisfied with them than the plywood pair I had made earlier.

The hatches on my boat are just flat, irregular rectangles (wider in the front than the rear) with a downturned lip of about 2 and one half inches that fits over the side of the cockpit.

I used a flat piece of MDF for my "mold". To make the lip I used a 1 x 4 attached to another 1 x 4 at 90 degrees. This formed the lip of the hatch (hatch is formed up side down). Using the 1 x 4 as a backstop clamped to the MDF, I drew the outline of the hatch on the MDF. Extend your lines so you can extrapolate where they are when they are covered by the fiberglass and core.

I cut 3 pieces of 1708 biaxial cloth about one inch larger in all directions than the outline (cut it large enough to run up the 1 x 4 "lip"). I cut 3/8 balsa core about 1 inch smaller in all directions than the outline. I then covered the mold with wax paper prior to laminating.

I laminated two layers of cloth, then added the core using thickened epoxy. I finished with another layer of cloth over the core. I used plenty of thickened epoxy on the core, and made sure the edges had a good fill. When I laminated the last layer of 1708 cloth, I made sure that the edges of the core were well filled and the last layer of cloth made a smooth transition to the first two layers.

Once the hatch cover had cured, I trimmed it to fit. It is very strong and has solid fiberglass on all the edges. I wasn't satisfied with the rigidity of the lip that went over the cockpit, so I laminated a quarter inch piece of hardwood to the inside for additonal rigidity. My existing hatches did not have any gasket material on them, but I believe I will add some to these hatches. The hatch openings have gutters all around that drain into the cockpit, but I would like something a little more secure.

It was a pretty easy project, easier I think than making them out of plywood. I have seen hatches done with Starboard (brand name). Check the Triton MIR site, I believe.

Bill

[Triton106]

Hi All,

Thanks for your quick responses. It's my bad - it the cockpit locker hatch that I am referring to and not lazaret hatch. I am convinced now that I will make a fiberglass hatch instead of trying to savage the original teak one or make one from marine plywood. Bill, I appreciate the detailed description on how to construct fiberglass hatch you provided. It's very helpful. I will take some pictures next time I am on the boat (I can never remember to do that for some reason) to show the folks not familar with the west coast Triton cockpit hatch covers (it's one thing I really don't like on the wc Tritons).

Best regards,

Ray

[Zach]

Do you guys have any opinions on installing an aluminum hatch for a water tight fit?

I was pondering that the last time I wedged myself in... they are not water tight, and definetly would help "drain" the cockpit if pooped.

Aluminum hatches are expensive!

[Tim]

The aluminum hatches are expensive, but they are 100% watertight and easy to install.

On this Triton, the owner elected to close off the old vertical-access "death locker" hatches in the cockpit well and install Bomar aluminum hatches in the seats for access. (This boat, like all the earlier-model Tritons, never had top-opening lids.) In this instance, this was the most economical way to go about solving a tough problem; the economics of building new structures like cockpit locker lids and gutters from scratch disappear when you start factoring in the cost of labor.

When using one's own time, however, and when that time isn't better utilized elsewhere, there are certainly less expensive options. The aluminum hatches aren't a perfect solution, either, but offered a good compromise in this particular case. Sometimes, time is more valuable than money in these projects; other times, it's not. This is often the determining factor in how one proceeds in any given project.

A couple people here on the forum have tackled the job of creating top-opening lids and gutters where none existed, and have done a nice job at it. You ought to find the posts and photos in an appropriate search.

I don't know how any Triton owner can live without one of these hatches in the cockpit sole, though, for access to the engine/stuffing box and cockpit drains.

[Triton 185]

Hi Tim.....I got to get one of these for the cockpit of my triton. It looks stong and light enough to work. I have visisted the Bomar site, but have only found this model in plastic. Do you know the model of the hatches in the picture.

Thanks,

Stephen #185

[bcooke]

I stole this p/n off an earlier thread. I imagine it is still current but check first. The price has probably gone up a bit.

The hatch I ordered is a Bomar cast aluminum inspection hatch, part # BOM-C4T1020, available at Hamilton Marine (order #147407; $357.99).

-Britton

[Triton 185]

Thanks Britton

[Triton106]

Hi All,

I am getting ready to build the fiberglassed cockpit cover to replace the demaged cover mentioned in my original question. Based on Tim's and Bill's recommendation/comments I am planning to use 1/2 inch balsa core. I have never worked with this material before. So when I received it from Defender I was surprised that the core material is scrimed into 1'x2' rectangles with fiberglass backing. My first question is if that is common and if so will that provide the strength necessary for the cockpit seats. My guess is that it does if that is what boatbuilder use for decks. But just seems interesting that it is not a whole sheet (like marine plywood). Secondly, Bill mentioned that he cut the core 1 inch smaller around the parameter (he used 3/8' core). Do I need to taper the core ends to a nice gentle curve so that the fiber glass can adhere solidly to it? If so what is the best tool to use to taper it. My last question is how many layers of fiberglass you would recommend. Bill used three layers (two outside one inside). Is that strong enough?

Thanks and best regards,

Ray

[Jason K]

Hi Ray,

Balsa is most often sold that way. The kerfs cut into the wood and the fiberglass skrim allow the core material to conform to curves. It's fine and quite effective as a core material.

I recommend filling the kerfs with lightly thickened epoxy.

You'll have a hard time tapering the ends of the core. The blocks will chip a bit. Intead, create a fillet from thickened epoxy (if you don't have it already, pick up the Gougeon Brothers guide) if the edge has too sharp of a radius.

As to the number of layers - that will depend on which type of cloth you'll use. I'll let the more knowledgeable among us chime in on that.

[Triton106]

Hi Jason,

Thanks for the explanation on the nature of balsa core and the tip to brush thickened epoxy between the kerfs. I also thought about making fillets around the edges. And based on what you said that seems like my only option.

As for the fiberglass I will be using I don't know yet. I ordered the bundled (reminants) fiberglass that Defender sells by the pound (I am very "cost conscious"). I have no idea what I will get and if I will be able to use that material. I figure if I cannot use it for the hatch coer I can always use it for other repair jobs. Since there are not hard and fast rules I will be more conservative and use more layers than I think I need (i.e. overkill). I will let you know how it turns out.

Best regards,

[Tim]

You can also grind a bevel into the core once the core is secured in place. But this is a lot more work than you'd think (given the lightweight nature of balsawood), so the fillets are the best bet to make the bulk of the transition. The exact way you go about this process will depend upon the specifics of your installation, which I don't know. (Pictures?)

In general, for a hatch cover of this construction on a Triton, you'll want about 3/16" of material as a top skin and 1/8" as a bottom skin. If you were using 1708 material, this would be 3 layers on top and one on the bottom. This laminate schedule is abundantly adequate for the job at hand.

Do you have a constraint on how thick your hatches can be? As I recall, you're replacing plywood covers that were flush with the surrounding areas. So you don't want your new hatches to be overly thick, or they'll stand proud of the surrounding area. Likewise, you may need to add thickness if you find that the new hatches are too thin to become flush with the other areas.

Your cutoff bundle will likely contain mostly lightweight 90? finishing cloth (up to 10 oz or so), so choose the heaviest version you can find in the mix. (not roving). It will take more layers of this lighter-weight, less bulky material to make up the required thickness.

Don't go too crazy with the overkill: you'll just end up wasting material and making your hatches heavier and bulkier than they need to be. And beware of making them overly thick to fit in the space you have available.

Hmm. Some final thoughts. Does the hatch need to be consistent thickness throughout, or thinner at the edges? You're talking about tapering the core, so that means you'll be bringing the top and bottom skins together around the perimeter of the core , which will substantially reduce the thickness of the outer edges of the structure. Does doing this fit in with what the hatch needs to be to fit where you're putting it?

If you need the hatch to be a consistent thickness all the way to the edges, you may need to leave the core 1/2" or so shy of the edges, and fill this area with solid glass to seal the core while retaining the consistent thickness to the edge.

I'm probably overcomplicating this for you...but without knowing exactly what you have going on there, I can only try to cover multiple bases.

[Triton106]

Hi Tim,

Thank you very much for you valuable advice on construction of my hatch cover. To be honest I have not thought through a lot of what you questions (thickness, being even with the surrouding cockpit seating level). My current teak cover is about 1/2" thick with a 1/4" lip in the front (no lip on the sides, thus it leaks a lot). I suppose that I need to build the thickness all the way around to 1/2" to make sure that it is even with the surrounding, which dictacts the thickness of the fillet. It's too bad that I bought the 1/2" balsa core before I checked with you. If I had bought the 3/8" balsa I can extend it all the way to the edge and not have to worry about the filleting part. It's my more is better mentality. Oh well, you live and learn.

I will try to take some pictures next time I am on the boat. I really don't know how you do it, working and taking pictures and documenting everything as you go. For me, I am just grateful that my projects get done more or less the way I like it (most of the time they do turn out OK).

Thanks again Tim for your help.

Best regards,