Hi forum,
I have a Catalina 36 2007 mkII where the handle was broken off from the 13"x13" hatch on the forward, starboard side. My research tells me that glue won't work and while some folks have had luck with drilling through the lens to reattach, I think I prefer a complete replacement. But how do I know which hatch to get and will it be an easy job to replace? Based on dimensions and descriptions on catalinadirect.com, I think this is the one:
but how can I be sure? And will it be easy to install?
Why not replacing the handle only?
Sail La Vie 1999 Catalina 36 MKII, M35B-17031, Coyote Point, San Mateo, CA
About Sail La Vie
Jesper;
Contact Hatchmasters in Conn. They will have all the parts and glue you'll need for the repair;
on the web at :
https://hatchmasters.com/hatch-repair/
Bill Dolan 1990 Catalina C-36 MKI - Hull #1041 'Williwaw'
Std. Rig, Walk Through, Wing Keel
M35, Oberdorfer Conversion,
Home Waters; Charlotte Harbor & The Gulf Islands of Florida
'You are never out of work if you own a boat'
I agree with Haro. I broke the locking mechanism on one of my hatches and it was an easy fix to get & replace the parts, and a lot cheaper the replacing thw whole hatch.
jesperfj, your message doesn't include any mention of where you are but the Conn. reference is good too. I've spoken with them at boat shows and they are a relliable source. They can replace the glass in a hatch if you have too much crazing.
Chuck Parker
HelenRita 2072 Mk II
2002 Tall Rig - Winged Keel
Atlantic Highlands, NJ
Thanks for the replies! This was my first post here and forgot to mention that I am in sf bay area. I read articles/posts online indicating that it's hard to glue on the handle. But based on your replies I'll pursue that option.
I got this fixed and want to share my approach and learnings.
Many online posts indicate that it's hard/impossible to glue the handle back on and make it stick. Some drill a hole in the acrylic and bolt it on. This is a bit tricky, but seems doable.
I contacted hatchmasters as suggested by other posters and hatchmasters confirmed that it cannot be glued back on.
I watch Youtube videos showing how to replace the lens on similar Lewmar hatches and it did give me some worry that it could be a difficult job. But I decided to go for it and bought a new lens on Catalinadirect:
https://www.catalinadirect.com/shop-by-boat/catalina-350/hatches-ports/r...
The hard part was taking the old frame apart. It was easy to remove the lid part of the hatch. Nothing was stuck there. But after removing the 8 screws holding the aluminum frame together around the lens, the frame would not budge on one side.
I first sprayed with WD-40. No luck. Then I tapped lightly with a hammer and wiggled it to loosen things up. No luck. Later I lined up two small pieces of 2x4 so I could "hammer it apart" without damaging the frame itself (sorry no pics). No luck. All this might have helped loosen it, but what finally worked was to wedge a flathead screw driver into the crease between the two parts of the frame. On the inside of the frame, there is a small gap where I could get the drive positioned. I tapped with a hammer on the driver and it separated the pieces.
Everything else went smooth. Unlike what some youtubers experienced, it was pretty easy to assemble the frame around the new lens. It was also easy to remount the lid on the hatch in the deck. I feel really good about this result because I know it's all factory quality now and Lewmar stopped using the glue method on newer lenses. Now the handle is bolted through the lens. So my new lens won't break the same way as the old one and/or will be easier to fix if it does.
So all in all, I cautiously recommend this approach. But if time is money and money is plenty, you might consider buying the whole thing:
https://www.catalinadirect.com/shop-by-boat/catalina-350/hatches-ports/h...
It's $280 vs $123 for the lens, so it's a significant jump.