Boat & Yacht Design

Hatches - A Window to a Boat's Soul

Nov 18, 2019

How well the hatches are built can be an indication of what was important to the builder in the construction of a boat.

Hatches are a very interesting part of a boat, because they provide a huge amount of insight into how a builder thinks. A hatch can tell you whether that builder is most concerned with keeping the cost down, or whether they spend a lot of time on fit and finish. You can tell how advanced their construction techniques are and can sometimes either spot major flaws or major technology that speaks volumes about a boat builder’s experience level. The next time you go to look at a boat, we’ll make sure you know what to look for when you swing up that hatch?

Cost-cutting measures begin with the hardware used on a hatch. Obviously, if it’s plastic you’ve just spotted a dead give-away that the builder is trying to shave off a few bucks. Latches that dog-down are better and more expensive than those that don’t and ones that lock will boost cost even more. Now open the hatch up. Is the underside fully finished with molded gel coat, or is it merely painted? There’s a huge difference in cost.

At the lower end of the spectrum is this hatch over a simple recess in the mold. It’s a seat so the construction is King Star-board with a cushion. The hinge is stainless but little more than half-length. Nothing holds it open or closed and nothing prevents it from opening too far. There are no gutters or channels to keep water out. But… this boat only costs $16,000 so it’s unreasonable to expect more.

While the hatch is open, check out the hinges. Full-length stainless-steel piano hinges are best, followed by quality stainless-steel hinges that are properly sized, followed by anything else. But on top of that, do the hinges stick up? Or, did the builder mold in a recess specifically for them so they sit flush with the deck and eliminate a trip hazard? And, are the nuts and bolts securing all of this hardware counter-sunk?

These hatches are molded on both sides. Note the deep channels and the positive lock latches instead of the lift-and-lock latches.

Before we go any further, let’s remember that cost-cutting measures are not always a bad thing. That’s particularly true in this day and age, when a relatively small twin-engine center console fishing boat might cost as much, if not more, than your house. Does it make sense to accept some cost-cutting measures if the boat costs half as much as some the same size?

For many people, that answer is yes. Not everyone drives a Lamborghini, not everyone can afford one, and not everyone wants one in the first place. So, it’s a bit foolish to consider cost-cutting measures a disqualifier unless money truly is no object.

Intrepid is a company that refuses to cut costs. Everything is done to excess, and that’s what its customers want. Notice the forward and left hatches. Both are held with dual gas struts, not one. Look at the deck hatch, fully finished on both sides, gasketed, held open with a support strut, there’s not only a raised lip to keep water out but a full perimeter channel leading to an overboard drain. Notice the compression turn and lock latch. On the one just ahead we can see the large T handle that makes it easier to open. Intrepid makes these latches in-house.

Overall construction quality, on the other hand, is not where we advise trying to save a buck. Test number one is to close that same hatch, stand on top of it, and bounce up and down a bit. If you feel it flexing underfoot, that’s bad news. Also, listen for creaks and grinds. Creaks are usually just an annoyance but grinding often means the part doesn’t mate up well with the liner and can lead to problems down the road. Gaps in the seams are another indication that the pieces/parts aren’t necessarily fitting together all that well.

In the best-case scenario, you’ll see one of the fit-and-finish items we talked about earlier: a molded gel coat underside. This isn’t only an indication of cost and detail work, but counts towards construction quality, too. Many builders use either a two-part mold, vacuum-infusion, or vacuum-bagging, with vacuum-drawn molding usually being the most advanced.

Well-designed hatches, such as those used for livewells, use gaskets or seals to keep water in.

Parts built in these ways are not only lighter and stronger than hatches molded in an open one-piece female mold, but they’re also more consistent from one to the next. As a result, they usually fit better. To test just how well a hatch fits, simply open one and then drop it closed without slowing it down or lowering it at all. A poorly fitted hatch will swing down and close with a slam, while a hatch with an excellent fit will close with a quiet “whoosh” as escaping air brakes its fall.

Hatch design can vary quite a bit depending on just what it is they’re covering. But also is an area to pay attention to. Well-designed deck hatches, for example, usually have some way of preventing water intrusion in the form of gaskets, gutters, or the combination of the two. Better yet, they’ll have a molded channel that carries water to a deck drain or scupper. Livewell hatches, on the other hand, need to seal the water in. Since they often sit flush on a lip and they’re smaller than a deck hatch, these often depend on compressing a gasket with the latch.

Here is a hatch with an unfinished underside. It was simply popped from mold and installed in minutes. There are two separate hinges. And those hinges are all that keep the hatch from opening too wide, so they’ll fail in a stiff wind. And imagine the vibration noise when underway.

Another important thing to look for is how the hatch stays open — or doesn’t. Gas-assist struts are generally best for this job, although they do need to be sized properly or issues will quickly arise. Another common thing you’ll see is the use of a strap, which the hatch leans back against. These work okay but only until the boat rocks and the hatch slams shut on your arm, or until someone leans on the hatch while it’s open and breaks the strap.

Gas-assist struts are usually the best method of ensuring a hatch stays open.

In the worst-case scenario the hatch rests back against another fiberglass part. In that case, you can bet that sooner or later someone will swing it open without thinking and chip the fiberglass. Resting on its own hinges isn’t great either, because they’ll likely bend or break if someone steps on or leans against the open hatch. Note: in the case of relatively small, light hatches, modern “friction hinges” which hold the hatch open work well and are quite convenient.

In a way, hatches tell you so much about how a boat is built that they’re a window to the boat-builder’s soul. A window that, if well designed and constructed, will open and close for the lifetime of your boat without ever causing you a moment’s grief.

A Word on Latches

How the hatch is latched also has a great deal to do with the latch location, and the hatch itself. A deck hatch needs to have a positive, compression seal. We don’t want water leaking into the compartment so sealing the hatch is important. The hatch should compress against a gasket that does the job and prevents noisy vibration when underway. This requires a turn and lock latch and you’ll likely need to step on the hatch to open or close the latch.

On something like the hatch over the ground tackle, that tight seal is not as important. Here, we like the lift and lock latch. You lift the latch and it opens. When closed, it stays locked. If this had a turn and lock latch, it invariably gets turned the wrong way and at the first wave it pops open, we stop the boat, go up and fix it and get back underway. The lift and lock latch negates this. Same with door latches in something like the cockpit beverage centers.

All the ingredients are here. A lift and lock latch that won’t pop open, a full-length piano hinge with bolts – not screws, a support strut that holds it open and prevents over-opening and the whole underside is as finished as the top.

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A Word on Latches