Sealing Sliding Hatch on Montgomery 15
Hello Montgomery Group! When we have the opportunity to sail our Montgomery 15 in larger waves that occasionally get up on deck, we find that water gets under the sliding hatch and into the cabin. This summer I found that towing the boat on the highway in rain has the same result, water getting into the cabin. This isn't a big problem but sometimes even a little water where you don't want it can be a nuisance (wet blankets and sheets for example). I wonder if anyone has improved this situation with some sort of seal attached to the hatch. For instance, I could imaging a strip of mylar attached to the hatch covering the gap between the hatch and the deck could cut down on water getting in to the cabin but also realize it could gum up the easy sliding of the hatch. Does anyone have successes, failures, or insights to share on this topic? Thanks! David GrahBishop California
A very general answer is, a sea hood would do what you want. Here's one brief thread addressing the question "what is a sea hood?" http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/f55/why-a-sea-hood-51279.html Google sea hood ...and you'll get a bunch more examples including people's projects building one for their boats that didn't come with one. Maybe someone here (or somewhere in the world) has added a sea hood to a Monty 15? The CLC Pocketship (15' micro cruiser plans/kit from CLC) is designed with one as standard equipment, looking at that setup might inform putting one on a similar size boat. cheers, John S. On 09/02/2015 01:35 PM, David Grah via montgomery_boats wrote:
Hello Montgomery Group! When we have the opportunity to sail our Montgomery 15 in larger waves that occasionally get up on deck, we find that water gets under the sliding hatch and into the cabin. This summer I found that towing the boat on the highway in rain has the same result, water getting into the cabin. This isn't a big problem but sometimes even a little water where you don't want it can be a nuisance (wet blankets and sheets for example). I wonder if anyone has improved this situation with some sort of seal attached to the hatch. For instance, I could imaging a strip of mylar attached to the hatch covering the gap between the hatch and the deck could cut down on water getting in to the cabin but also realize it could gum up the easy sliding of the hatch. Does anyone have successes, failures, or insights to share on this topic? Thanks!
David GrahBishop California
-- John Schinnerer - M.A., Whole Systems Design -------------------------------------------- - Eco-Living - Whole Systems Design Services People - Place - Learning - Integration john@eco-living.net - 510.982.1334 http://eco-living.net http://sociocracyconsulting.com
yep, like JohnS wrote a seahood is the solution. one thing to be aware that if you fit one it will make the opening into the cabin smaller as you couldn't open slider hatch fully (ie, not as far forward). -- :: Dave Scobie :: former M15 owner - www.freewebs.com/m15-named-scred :: M17 #375 SWEET PEA - www.m17-375.webs.com On Wed, Sep 2, 2015 at 3:04 PM, John Schinnerer <john@eco-living.net> wrote:
A very general answer is, a sea hood would do what you want. Here's one brief thread addressing the question "what is a sea hood?"
http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/f55/why-a-sea-hood-51279.html
sea hood
...and you'll get a bunch more examples including people's projects building one for their boats that didn't come with one.
Maybe someone here (or somewhere in the world) has added a sea hood to a Monty 15?
The CLC Pocketship (15' micro cruiser plans/kit from CLC) is designed with one as standard equipment, looking at that setup might inform putting one on a similar size boat.
cheers, John S.
On 09/02/2015 01:35 PM, David Grah via montgomery_boats wrote:
Hello Montgomery Group! When we have the opportunity to sail our Montgomery 15 in larger waves that occasionally get up on deck, we find that water gets under the sliding hatch and into the cabin. This summer I found that towing the boat on the highway in rain has the same result, water getting into the cabin. This isn't a big problem but sometimes even a little water where you don't want it can be a nuisance (wet blankets and sheets for example). I wonder if anyone has improved this situation with some sort of seal attached to the hatch. For instance, I could imaging a strip of mylar attached to the hatch covering the gap between the hatch and the deck could cut down on water getting in to the cabin but also realize it could gum up the easy sliding of the hatch. Does anyone have successes, failures, or insights to share on this topic? Thanks!
David GrahBishop California
-- John Schinnerer - M.A., Whole Systems Design -------------------------------------------- - Eco-Living - Whole Systems Design Services People - Place - Learning - Integration john@eco-living.net - 510.982.1334 http://eco-living.net http://sociocracyconsulting.com
On 9/2/2015 3:35 PM, David Grah via montgomery_boats wrote: Hi David, I had the "driving in the rain" problem with my M15 also. My solution was Duct Tape across the front edge of the companionway hatch to keep out the rain while driving. It worked. No more soggy cushions in the cabin. A sea hood for the companionway hatch is the ultimate solution, for heavy weather sailing, but some creative thinking might come up with an easier and less costly solution. How about a strip of Dacron sailcloth across the front edge of the cockpit hatch, held in place with some bungee cords, that closes off the area? A quarter inch diameter bungee cord It might be strong enough and have enough tension to keep out the occasional green water that you get on deck out of the cabin, or at least restrict its entrance to a few errant drops. A DIY job on a weekend. Connie
Hello Montgomery Group! When we have the opportunity to sail our Montgomery 15 in larger waves that occasionally get up on deck, we find that water gets under the sliding hatch and into the cabin. This summer I found that towing the boat on the highway in rain has the same result, water getting into the cabin. This isn't a big problem but sometimes even a little water where you don't want it can be a nuisance (wet blankets and sheets for example). I wonder if anyone has improved this situation with some sort of seal attached to the hatch. For instance, I could imaging a strip of mylar attached to the hatch covering the gap between the hatch and the deck could cut down on water getting in to the cabin but also realize it could gum up the easy sliding of the hatch. Does anyone have successes, failures, or insights to share on this topic? Thanks!
David GrahBishop California
Let us know if you find a good solution, I would also like to do something about it. Here are two ideas I had so far: I wonder if the dual PVC lip seals used on shower doors and sliding windows could work. One seal installs pointing upwards against the underside of the hatch, and the other pointing downwards on the leading edge. One would need a smooth sealing surface, so it would probably be necessary to modify the inside of the hatch to be perfectly smooth. Another option would be to modify the hatch to be a lifting instead of sliding hatch, more like a bow hatch. Then it could be clamped down tight with seals. I remember from the photos of Strawanza (the bluewater M17) that it merely had the hatch bolted down, so it could no longer open. Tyler Davis, CA M15 #157 "Defiant"
On Sep 2, 2015, at 1:35 PM, David Grah via montgomery_boats <montgomery_boats@mailman.xmission.com> wrote:
Hello Montgomery Group! When we have the opportunity to sail our Montgomery 15 in larger waves that occasionally get up on deck, we find that water gets under the sliding hatch and into the cabin. This summer I found that towing the boat on the highway in rain has the same result, water getting into the cabin. This isn't a big problem but sometimes even a little water where you don't want it can be a nuisance (wet blankets and sheets for example). I wonder if anyone has improved this situation with some sort of seal attached to the hatch. For instance, I could imaging a strip of mylar attached to the hatch covering the gap between the hatch and the deck could cut down on water getting in to the cabin but also realize it could gum up the easy sliding of the hatch. Does anyone have successes, failures, or insights to share on this topic? Thanks!
David GrahBishop California
I had the same problem on Chiquita, my VN23. I used a thin plastic "door sweep" type of weather stripping from the hardware store, cut down to fit. I attached it with silicone. Lots of silicone, to the point that the plastic just became a backstop to support the silicone dam. Looks like crap but it works and is hidden under the sliding hatch. I took these pictures yesterday, the dam is about 4 years old and still holding up. It will be no big deal to replace it when the silicone gives out. In the pictures the pop-top is raised and the hatch removed. https://picasaweb.google.com/101215806559438798863/Chiquita#6192576297793367... https://picasaweb.google.com/101215806559438798863/Chiquita#6192576298656708... On Thu, Sep 3, 2015 at 10:16 AM, Tyler Backman <casioqv@usermail.com> wrote:
Let us know if you find a good solution, I would also like to do something about it. Here are two ideas I had so far:
I wonder if the dual PVC lip seals used on shower doors and sliding windows could work. One seal installs pointing upwards against the underside of the hatch, and the other pointing downwards on the leading edge. One would need a smooth sealing surface, so it would probably be necessary to modify the inside of the hatch to be perfectly smooth.
Another option would be to modify the hatch to be a lifting instead of sliding hatch, more like a bow hatch. Then it could be clamped down tight with seals. I remember from the photos of Strawanza (the bluewater M17) that it merely had the hatch bolted down, so it could no longer open.
Tyler Davis, CA M15 #157 "Defiant"
On Sep 2, 2015, at 1:35 PM, David Grah via montgomery_boats < montgomery_boats@mailman.xmission.com> wrote:
Hello Montgomery Group! When we have the opportunity to sail our Montgomery 15 in larger waves that occasionally get up on deck, we find that water gets under the sliding hatch and into the cabin. This summer I found that towing the boat on the highway in rain has the same result, water getting into the cabin. This isn't a big problem but sometimes even a little water where you don't want it can be a nuisance (wet blankets and sheets for example). I wonder if anyone has improved this situation with some sort of seal attached to the hatch. For instance, I could imaging a strip of mylar attached to the hatch covering the gap between the hatch and the deck could cut down on water getting in to the cabin but also realize it could gum up the easy sliding of the hatch. Does anyone have successes, failures, or insights to share on this topic? Thanks!
David GrahBishop California
-- Henry https://picasaweb.google.com/heinzir
SWEET LOOKING BOAT HENRY NICE JOB GEORGE M15 George "We Can Not Control the Wind But We Can Adjust Our Sails" On Wed, Sep 9, 2015 at 1:14 PM, Henry Rodriguez <heinzir@gmail.com> wrote:
I had the same problem on Chiquita, my VN23. I used a thin plastic "door sweep" type of weather stripping from the hardware store, cut down to fit. I attached it with silicone. Lots of silicone, to the point that the plastic just became a backstop to support the silicone dam. Looks like crap but it works and is hidden under the sliding hatch. I took these pictures yesterday, the dam is about 4 years old and still holding up. It will be no big deal to replace it when the silicone gives out. In the pictures the pop-top is raised and the hatch removed.
https://picasaweb.google.com/101215806559438798863/Chiquita#6192576297793367...
https://picasaweb.google.com/101215806559438798863/Chiquita#6192576298656708...
On Thu, Sep 3, 2015 at 10:16 AM, Tyler Backman <casioqv@usermail.com> wrote:
Let us know if you find a good solution, I would also like to do something about it. Here are two ideas I had so far:
I wonder if the dual PVC lip seals used on shower doors and sliding windows could work. One seal installs pointing upwards against the underside of the hatch, and the other pointing downwards on the leading edge. One would need a smooth sealing surface, so it would probably be necessary to modify the inside of the hatch to be perfectly smooth.
Another option would be to modify the hatch to be a lifting instead of sliding hatch, more like a bow hatch. Then it could be clamped down tight with seals. I remember from the photos of Strawanza (the bluewater M17) that it merely had the hatch bolted down, so it could no longer open.
Tyler Davis, CA M15 #157 "Defiant"
On Sep 2, 2015, at 1:35 PM, David Grah via montgomery_boats < montgomery_boats@mailman.xmission.com> wrote:
Hello Montgomery Group! When we have the opportunity to sail our Montgomery 15 in larger waves that occasionally get up on deck, we find that water gets under the sliding hatch and into the cabin. This summer I found that towing the boat on the highway in rain has the same result, water getting into the cabin. This isn't a big problem but sometimes even a little water where you don't want it can be a nuisance (wet blankets and sheets for example). I wonder if anyone has improved this situation with some sort of seal attached to the hatch. For instance, I could imaging a strip of mylar attached to the hatch covering the gap between the hatch and the deck could cut down on water getting in to the cabin but also realize it could gum up the easy sliding of the hatch. Does anyone have successes, failures, or insights to share on this topic? Thanks!
David GrahBishop California
-- Henry https://picasaweb.google.com/heinzir
Hi David, Found this email while nosing around the site. I plan to glue a strip of ensolite pad on the forward facing surface of the companionway hatch coaming. That way when the hatch is closed it presses against this new "gasket" and prevents water from being forced up under the hatch via rain, waves or road travel. I have already attached a one inch stock teak strip to dress up the aft facing hatch surface so there is no problem with shedding water off the back edge. I do believe that a 1/2" thick gasket of ensolite will still allow the stock hatch to close enough to make it water tight. My two cents. Tom B On Wed, Sep 2, 2015 at 3:35 PM, David Grah via montgomery_boats < montgomery_boats@mailman.xmission.com> wrote:
Hello Montgomery Group! When we have the opportunity to sail our Montgomery 15 in larger waves that occasionally get up on deck, we find that water gets under the sliding hatch and into the cabin. This summer I found that towing the boat on the highway in rain has the same result, water getting into the cabin. This isn't a big problem but sometimes even a little water where you don't want it can be a nuisance (wet blankets and sheets for example). I wonder if anyone has improved this situation with some sort of seal attached to the hatch. For instance, I could imaging a strip of mylar attached to the hatch covering the gap between the hatch and the deck could cut down on water getting in to the cabin but also realize it could gum up the easy sliding of the hatch. Does anyone have successes, failures, or insights to share on this topic? Thanks!
David GrahBishop California
participants (8)
-
Conbert Benneck -
Dave Scobie -
David Grah -
George Iemmolo -
Henry Rodriguez -
John Schinnerer -
Thomas Buzzi -
Tyler Backman