P323 hatch refurb

[m_boone]

Hello all,

I have decided to refurbish the hatches on Blue Sky as Dolce Vita and Alma have described in their posts. After removing the hatches, I noticed that one of the pins on her aft hatch is bent. I believe that these pins are pressed into the the frames. Any ideas about removing and replacing this pin?

[rbrtfeld]

If anyone is interested, I have a brand new  white hatch For over the main cabin. I never installed it and would take 400.00 plus shipping cost. You can email me at rbrtfeld@aol.com for pictures if needed

[m_boone]

If anyone is interested, I have a brand new  white hatch For over the main cabin. I never installed it and would take 400.00 plus shipping cost. You can email me at rbrtfeld@aol.com for pictures if needed

That's a very good price.

[m_boone]

I was poking around the McMaster-Carr website and found that they sell pull-out dowel pins with instructions on how to remove.

https://www.mcmaster.com/pull-out-dowel-pins/

Dolce Vita mentioned this company in several of his posts and I have bought several things from them so far. Great website and customer service/turn-around times. Thanks Ed.

Anyway, I'm pretty sure now that there are no threads on the outside of the pin so I think it should be possible to either pull them using a screw or tap them out with a dowel. I'll have to cut the bent one in order to tap that pin out. Just a little worried about cracking the aluminum trying to remove these pins.

[Dolce_Vita]

You are correct.  These pins are simply press fit in.  No threads involved.

Don't mess with a wood dowel.  You'll just get frustrated.  The tool you want is called a "drift" or a "pin punch".  I used it to remove all the pins on my hatches before having them cleaned and powder coated.  Here's an example:

https://www.amazon.com/ATD-Tools-762-5-Piece-Roll-Pin/dp/B000OUZBBY


That bent pin looks like the hatch was closed on a line or something.  You will have to cut that one and tap out the pieces afterwards.  Remove the good pin first, as it will be easier to do while things are still together.  Unless, of course, they're both bent, in which case you'll have to cut them both.

[m_boone]

You are correct.  These pins are simply press fit in.  No threads involved.

Don't mess with a wood dowel.  You'll just get frustrated.  The tool you want is called a "drift" or a "pin punch".  I used it to remove all the pins on my hatches before having them cleaned and powder coated.  Here's an example:

https://www.amazon.com/ATD-Tools-762-5-Piece-Roll-Pin/dp/B000OUZBBY


That bent pin looks like the hatch was closed on a line or something.  You will have to cut that one and tap out the pieces afterwards.  Remove the good pin first, as it will be easier to do while things are still together.  Unless, of course, they're both bent, in which case you'll have to cut them both.

Thanks Ed. I've ordered the punch set. I've tried to tap/drive the good pin out with a screw that fits but it didn't seem to budge. I'm sure it's because I tried to use a screw instead of a drift punch and I used light force.

I started looking at galvanic corrosion solutions (pin is stainless in aluminum frame) and found that folks recommend a solution of automatic transmission fluid and acetone (1:1). Tests indicate better results than WD40, PB Blaster or Liquid Wrench. Even if I don't need to use this, there may be others out there that could find this information interesting.

http://forum.woodenboat.com/showthread.php?219051-How-to-free-a-steel-to-Aluminum-corrosion-bond

[Alma]

The very best corrosion buster is KROL.

It is available only from the manufacturer.

Get some and have it on hand for your next project.

Meantime try PB Blaster.

Let it sit a few days. The split pin will allow the Blaster to reach the entire joint.

Spray just enough to saturate the pin and tap it with a little hammer to get it to disperse.

Patience is the key. When you feel the need to push forward and make a mess of it- spray a few more drops and give it a little tap to disperse.

Do NOT apply heat with torch after using solvents. They are very poison.

It is very important to back up the hatch with something rigid like teak or aluminum or steel with a small hole to allow the pin to pass through. I have seen these hatch in perfect condition with the hinge boss broken off because someone didn't have the patience to get this done without wrecking it.

Take your time and good luck.

[m_boone]

Thanks Alma,

I bought some KROIL. Also big thanks for talking me through this. I did as you said; "PB Blast, Tap, Repeat" over 48hrs and I was finally able to get the toughest pin out. That pin had evidence of corrosion on it. I would have surely made a mess of this if it hadn't been for you and Ed.

[Dolce_Vita]

Glad you're making progress!

[Alma]

Great news

These old Bomar hatches are well made

I stripped the paint from mine and they are naturally corrosion resistant

They look “shippy” with their Almag alloy exposed too

Good luck

[m_boone]

Hi folks, I never imagined that it would take this long but I finally got the hatches back from the 2ed powder coaters yesterday and I have the aft hatch mostly assembled. The 1st powder coaters had the hatches for nearly a month before I took them to the 2ed powder coaters. I kept getting the run-around with the 1st coaters and the second powder coaters only baked the hatches for 3.5 hours even after I told them to bake them overnight. They said, "We know. We do marine stuff all the time." ...So, there are bubbles in the finish but not bad in my opinion and they certainly look a lot better than before.



I didn't make a mess on the glazing (Dow 795 - thanks Ed) but I could have done a better job. You can see a wavy pattern of the sealant through the Lexan. Maybe the forward hatch will be better. I'll tackle that tomorrow.

Another thing to note was that the original Lexan had cracks at nearly every screw hole and this is where some of the leaking came from. I went with the Dow 795 sealant without replacing the screws as mentioned on this forum in other hatch threads.



I think the hardest/riskiest part of this project was removing the hinge pins without breaking the hatch. Dealing with powder coaters is not cost/risk free either. I think the cost (expense and time) of refurbishing these Bomar hatches is about the same as installing replacement hatches. However, these are the originals and they're great hatches too.

Thanks to all of the contributors of the prior hatch threads in this forum as well as Dolce_Vita, Alma and others on this thread - Made my hatch project possible. This website is a great asset for us Pearson guys/gals.

-Mike

[m_boone]

Question: I was thinking of installing the aft hatch backwards so that it opens from astern. Because of the boom's rigging, it would be easier to open from the rear of the boat. Why did Pearson install facing forward? Do you folks see any reason not to install backwards?

[Dolce_Vita]

When at anchor, you want it facing fwd to get the max ventilation. Acts like a wind scoop. Unfortunately, this interferes with a boom vang if you install one. Many people have flipped it for that reason.

[m_boone]

When at anchor, you want it facing fwd to get the max ventilation. Acts like a wind scoop. Unfortunately, this interferes with a boom vang if you install one. Many people have flipped it for that reason.

Thanks Ed. Blue Sky has a boom vang so I'll be putting it in backwards.

-Mike

[Dolce_Vita]

We were just out on Dolce Vita this weekend for the first time this season! 

After 8 years since doing our hatches,  they are still leak-free.  The frames still look great, but 8 years of UV exposure has fogged the Lexan with micro crazing.  This is despite using Lexan that had extra  UV and anti-scratch coatings.  I sewed up some covers for them, something I should have done in the beginning.  You might want to do that now to keep them looking crystal clear as long as possible.