Rick, IIRC, Jerry was concerned about a bow-opening hatch coming open when trailering, with resulting damage. Hence the opening to the rear. Additional ventilation would be good and in the past I have thought about adding something. My vision was one or two round, opening ports on the sloping forward portion of the dog house. That would provide visibility to weather when anchored as well as fresh air. And keep the tiny foredeck unobstructed. That said, I have ridden out several storms in the closed cabin and not felt smothered. The cabin is so small that it doesn't need much ventilation. Now that I have a quiet nylon tarp/boom tent, I can remove at least one hatch board even in a hard rain. Since the tent also keeps dew off the cockpit and gear overnighting there, I put it up nearly every night. Bill Riker M15 - #184 Storm Petrel -----Original Message----- From: montgomery_boats-bounces+wriker=mindspring.com@mailman.xmission.com [mailto:montgomery_boats-bounces+wriker=mindspring.com@mailman.xmission.com] On Behalf Of Rick Langer Sent: Thursday, March 16, 2006 9:30 AM To: montgomery_boats@mailman.xmission.com Subject: M_Boats: Forward Hatch in an M15 I'm planning to install a 12"x12" (9"x9" cutout) hatch in the forward deck right in front of the cabin. My intent is to increase ventilation through the cabin. I have considered a Nicro type vent, but prefer a passive, no noise option. I don't think a cowl or dorade box will work well because the deck is very small. I also considered cutting a port or two into the cabin sides, but nixed that being worried I'd weaken the roof/mast step. So it seems a low profile hatch is the best solution. My question is, "Which way should I orient it?". My first thought is to have the lid open towards the mast. This way, at anchor, the lid would direct a breeze down the hatch. However, I've seen some hatches mounted the other way like on an M17. What's the advantage of this orientation? Thanks, Rick Langer M15 #337 Bluebird _______________________________________________ http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/montgomery_boats