Companionway Hatch Squeeking Horribly

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mike37909's picture
mike37909
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Posts: 161
Companionway Hatch Squeeking Horribly

So this would wake anyone up when I open the companionway.  I tried to hose it out under the hatch but too much water was going in the cabin.  So I sprayed WD-40 in the tracks all. 
Squeek is gone and it slides like butter.
So now it opens when the wind blows on it hard....
Sometimes you can't win!

Catalina 36 MK1
1984 Hull #306

 

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Chachere
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Posts: 825

Beeswax worked for us (yeah, that chalk-on-the blackboard screech could set an entire anchorage on edge....)

Matthew Chachère
s/v ¡Que Chévere!
(Formerly 1985 C36 MKI #466 tall rig fin keel M25)
2006 Catalina Morgan 440 #30.
Homeported in eastern Long Island, NY

neilroach
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Joined: 2/4/10
Posts: 126

Had the same problem and tried different lubricants with some success. Finally used some grease which was pretty good but then when I sanded the brightwork next to the hatch tracks and the fine sawdust mixed with the grease all noise stopped and it had just the right amount of friction. 
Once again blind luck triumphs over common sense. 

Neil Roach
"Crewless"
1992 36, Mark I
Hull # 1174
Seattle

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jworth3
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Posts: 80

When we bought Tehani last year, we also had the squeak. The original thin, apparently Teflon®, tape was peeling off.

I cleaned off all the old tape and adhesive and applied Fat PTFE tape. Specifically, I used 3/4-inch wide by 30 mil thick tape from CS Hyde. It's listed as Item # 15-30A-.75-5. A 5-yard roll is currently $36.12 (plus shipping) online at http://catalog.cshyde.com/item/tapes-with-psa/fat-ptfe-tape/fat-ptfe-15-...?. Other widths and thicknesses are available, but this worked great. It's self-adhesive and very easy to apply. Photo of finished job attached.

I recommend this to all. It's been on for 1 1/2 seasons now and looks like the day it was applied. And no squeak!

Joe & Patti Worth
"Tehani"
1999 C36 MKII #1810
Atlantic Highlands, NJ

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dragonfly210
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Joined: 5/7/16
Posts: 4

Thanks for the great idea as I've been wondering how to deal with the grinding of the gelcoat. Our 1984 has nothing between the hatch flange and the area it rides in. We bought it in 2012 and are going over everything one project at a time.
Mark and Kitty Bondy
Dragonfly
1984 C36
LaSalle,Mi

 

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benethridge
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Posts: 446

I had this same fingernail-on-chalkboard screeching.  I tried all the stuff already mentioned with the lubricants and nothing worked permanently....until I did this:

https://www.catalina36.org/forum/technical-discussion/companionway-hatch-hood-damage

I now have it all finished, including the thru-bolts and the permanent teflon tape plastic strip solution.  Just need to hack-saw (or something?) the thru-bolts sticking down into the cabin now.

It's working perfectly. The hatch doesn't screech and what's better is my sliding hatch is no longer being slowly ground down to nothing.
 

Ben Ethridge
Miami, FL
1984 MK1 Hull# 263

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benethridge
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Posts: 446

Oh.  I think the reason these things screech is that the fiberglass on the sliding hatch gets worn down to the point where the front edge of the sliding hatch scrapes along the deck inside the hatch cover, where you can't see the dirt doing it's criminal mischief.  That's why the plastic and teflon fixes the problem permanently, since it raises the sliding hatch back up to its normal height above the deck.

Ben Ethridge
Miami, FL
1984 MK1 Hull# 263

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Donwinchell
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Posts: 9

SOLVED -Just typed this up,then lost it, so here goes in a quicker version.
Tried everything.
had some aluminum flat-bar, about 1/8th inch thick by 1 inch wide by 10 feet long.
Cut it to length and put a piece in each side of the companionway in the track BETWEEN the cabin roof and the sliding hatch. My sqeak was comming from some cross piece under the spray hood, scaping on he cabin top.this raised it enough to stop the major squeak and now that i have an aluminum to fiberglass "slider" there is no minor squeak either. The more i use it the smoother it gets. You can get flat-bar of different thickness at metals-depot. I was about to go nuts and was ready to tear out the hood (no minor task). This did it, could work for you. I may attach a picture soon

stjo118
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Posts: 1

I have this problem as well.  Do you recall what the length was for each side?  Did you use any sort of adhesive or just make sure that it fit the track snugly?

Thanks in advance.

Steven Johnson
s/v Ghost
1984 Catalina 36 #268 TR

benethridge's picture
benethridge
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Posts: 446

I glued a few wooden blocks along the forward edges to keep them from sliding forward or sideways.  This has been working well for several years now and I live aboard.  I have not even had to replace the teflon tape covering yet.

When I installed the blocks, there was a LOT of dirt under the hatch cover.  It was literally grinding away the hatch cover.

Ben Ethridge
Miami, FL
1984 MK1 Hull# 263

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Donwinchell
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Posts: 9

Steven (and others),
No, I don't remember the length of the aluminum strips but it is about twice as long as the hatch cover. I just slid the aluminum in (could have been wood, fiberglass, plastic or whatever), until it hit the forward edge of the "track" or groove that the hatch slides in. As it was somewhat flexible, it did stick out past the aft side of the track somewhat.  I just marked it at that spot, about and inch short, and cut it.  then slid it in until it bumped up against the forward end of the track and stopped. I then put in one screw through the aft edge to hold it in place. I probably could have glued it instead.

From my investigations, and based on what other's have said.  This is my analysis and the cause of some of the frustration. I believe there are two causes of the squeak.  One is simply that the track gets dirt in it, gets rough and this causes a squeak, this is the easy one.  A little lubricant, wax, soap or whatever will solve this. Maybe for a long time and maybe only for a short time. But the deeper problem, as has been stated (which I think was true on my boat) is that the track and hatch mating surfaces wear to the point that the center of the hatch or some other part "inside" starts scraping. Now a lubricant won't help, maybe THICK Teflon tape will help but this is because it raises the hatch enough to now again clear the point when the coach top and the hatch are scraping. Also on my boat I could not actually see where it was scraping. Hence the 1/8" thick aluminum strips, the strips raise the sliding cover enough to again clear the point where it scrapes.

My boat is a 1990 (older) and also has had at least two major cruises under the keel so a lot of opening and closing and a lot of wear. I think this is why for some people it has been a simple fix, but for others the easy solutions, like wax, silicone spray, soap, etc.  did not work.
I hope this helps someone.

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mholzmann
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Posts: 77

Stop Screeching Companion Way Hatch Available Now

 Many years back Graham Mackay posted a solution to a screeching companionway hatch sliding against the cabin top.  I followed his instructions to the letter and it solved my problem.
New problem is I needed to buy a huge sheet of plastic 48" x 92" to get (2) 1"x 72" x 1/16.  So needless to say I have the ability to make a lot of strips.  If you have a screeching hatch  $15.00 paid to paypal will deliver a set of pre cut strips to your door.  These really work they install in minutes with no removal or alteration to the hatch assembly.  This is for sliding companionway with wood trim pre 1996  Mk 1 sliding hatch system

Please include your mailing address and email address.  www.paypal.me/markholzmann/15 (link is external)  Questions? email me at holzie at gmail dot com. https://youtu.be/1AOsPGluaDs  (link is external)

https://youtu.be/ekbxBGqnxgI

Mark Holzmann
"Hawkwind"
Sail #1246
Rose City Yacht Club-Portland OR

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ssteakley
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Posts: 52

The teflon tape on our sliding hatch was gone so I found this at Amazon and it works great:

https://www.amazon.com/Slick-Strips-Width-32-Thick/dp/B0035Y46GM/ref=sr_...

 

Steve Steakley
SNOWBALL
​1998 C36 #1711
Seattle,WA
https://svwandrinstar.blogspot.com

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mholzmann
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Posts: 77

Teflon tape is amazing stuff and works great as long as you take the entire hatch off and install the tape properly.  The beauty of the strips is none of that is necessary!!

Mark Holzmann
"Hawkwind"
Sail #1246
Rose City Yacht Club-Portland OR

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