# Hatch lens replacement



## dillybar (Nov 10, 2009)

Hey Gang,
I have a few badly scratched / crazed hatch lenses that are in need of attention.
The options seem to be replacement lids - 12 week delivery from Lewmar or lens replacement of my lids by company called Hatch Masters in Connecticut. The price is about 70% of new lids and the delivery is about half.
Has any one dealt with this Company (or any other) for replacement hatch lenses? 
Pros / cons of lens replacement?

Thanks


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## OasisII (Dec 25, 2007)

*Hatch Lens Replacement*

I think that you are referring to Select Plastics. Yes, I have used them and know of others who have as well. Quality and service was very good.

Two years ago they were quoting 4-6 weeks.
If you send them in February, figure much much longer as their pre-season business explodes.

Mike G.
Oasis


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## dillybar (Nov 10, 2009)

Yes Mike, Select Plastics appears to be the parent company or they just market the hatch business as "Hatch Masters".
I did get the feeling from talking to the owner today that they knew what they were doing. Thanks for the input.


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## kd3pc (Oct 19, 2006)

+1 for Hatch masters. Select....great work, and great guys...


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## gregdettmer (Mar 16, 2011)

*another option is doing it yourself*

I don't have any experience with either company but have replaced them myself. It is not a very complicated task so I would imagine any company that does it as there business would do a great job. I would shop based on price or turn around time which ever was more important

If you do it yourself it is rather straight forward

1) Using a thin knife blade cut through the older sealer to remove the existing piece of acrylic. Takes less than an hour for most hatches

2) Take the old piece of acrylic to a local supply shop, most cities have at least on supplier. They will use the old piece as a template to cut you a new piece. Usual turn around time is 24 hours or less. My local supplier will do it while I wait if there not back up with other jobs.

3) Get some sealer ( multiple options are available)

4) Remove all old sealer from existing frame (very important to ensure no leaks). Plan to spend 1 to 2 hours on this.

5) Place a bead of sealer around the base of the frame where the acrylic will sit, set the new piece of acrylic in sealer and allow to cure. Takes about 20 minutes, then cure time varies on sealer I usually just wait overnight.

6) After sealer has cured, come back and add additional sealer between the edges of acrylic and the frame, this is the sealer you will see when the job is complete. You could do this step before the initial application of sealer has cured, but letting it cure first just helps to ensure good alignment.

These are just the high level details of what the job entails but not to complex.

Regards
Greg
s/v Spirit Soul
e38


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## eherlihy (Jan 2, 2007)

Select plastics is GREAT!

I had two old Lewmar Ocean Series hatches that replacement handles cannot be obtained for. Select Plastics retrofitted new handles to these hatches for cheap, while they replaced the lenses.

This:









to looking like NEW.


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## SloopJonB (Jun 6, 2011)

gregdettmer said:


> I don't have any experience with either company but have replaced them myself. It is not a very complicated task so I would imagine any company that does it as there business would do a great job. I would shop based on price or turn around time which ever was more important
> 
> If you do it yourself it is rather straight forward
> 
> ...


Absolutely. Further to Greg's comments, if you can use a router, you can do it all yourself very easily. I was given a good Lewmar hatch with a crazed lens. I got an offcut of smoked plexi of the right thickness and cut it to fit with a router - just stick them together with double sided tape (don't remove the mask from the new piece before doing this) and rout around it using the old piece to guide the bearing on the router bit.

Before separating them, be sure you have drilled all the hinge and or handle holes as applicable, using the holes on the old lens as drill guides.

Separate the two, fit the new piece in the hatch frame and mark the edge with pencil on the mask. Remove the lens, trim the mask to the pencil line with a razor knife and peel off the thin strip of mask around the perimeter - this leaves the surface of the lens protected from drips of sealant etc.

Remove the lens and mask the hatch frame top & bottom alongside where the sealant will go. Put sealant in the mounting lip and fit the lens back in place, LIGHTLY clamped to ensure a snug fit - over clamping will squeeze out too much sealant which must bond the lens in as well as seal it from leaks. I used cheap spring clamps with all the strength of clothespins. Be sure to run a wet finger around the top seam to smooth the sealant.

When the sealant has tacked off, peel off the mask on both sides, put the latches and hinges back on, et viola - a new hatch.

This is a very easy and satisfying job. Doing the routing and drilling yourself makes a major savings (percentage wise) over having a plastics shop doing it. I asked about it and it would have doubled the cost compared to buying the plastic off cut. The whole thing cost me about $90 including the expensive tube of adhesive glazing sealant. You must be careful with your selection of adhesive sealant - many will eat acrylic, many won't bond well etc. Industrial glazing sealant, namely Dow Corning 795 was recommended and worked well for me. It's silicone but it is used for installing curtain wall glazing on highrises so I think it will hold a hatch lens in. 

Good luck.


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## tommays (Sep 9, 2008)

one of those 175 dollars VS 1200 dollar projects that was pretty easy


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## Maine Sail (Jan 6, 2003)

Just some cautions on DIYing this;

#1 You want to use cast acrylic not cheap extruded acrylic. Cyro's Acrylite is pretty much the industry standard. There are only a few hatches that used polycarbonate and they are made by Bomar and have cross bracing to support it.

#2 These hatches are most often bedded in silicone. The old silicone MUST be 100% removed. This is no easy task. New silicone will not adhere well to old silicone contamination. This job is all about prep.

#3 Do not use 4200, 5200 etc. You want to use Dow Corning 795, GE SG-4000 or Sikaflex 295 UV with the special primer. Tony at Select Plastics repairs more hatches than anyone and these are the only sealants he will use.

#4 You'll want to use thin spacers under the lens to keep enough thickness for the sealant bond to not fail. Placement is tricky and they often fall out. I now use double sided 3M body molding tape cut thin and place on the inner edge of the lip so I still get plenty of silicone bond. The acrylic moves quite a bit and you need enough thickness to allow this movement.

#5 Once the fame is clean you can do one last wipe with acetone or another strong other but don't use them on the lens. Tony like a 50/50 mix of denatured alcohol and distilled water for cleaning the acrylic prior to bonding. Do not touch any of the bonding surfaces with your fingers after cleaning.

#6 Allow the sealant plenty of time to cure before putting into use. The temps should not drop below 50f during the 20+ day cure window for products like SG-4000 or Dow 795.

#7 Let Tony and his crew at Select Plastics do it. They use factory authorized repair techniques and a special bonding agent to physically glue the lens to the frame which is multiples stronger than DOW 795 or other sealants. They do great work and do it right.


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## paulk (Jun 2, 2000)

Select is essentially around the corner from us, so we've had occasion to drop in more than once. They are helpful with valuable advice and have enabled us to keep our ancient Lewmar forward hatch working and dry. I'm pretty sure that they would be fully capable of rebuilding it to company specs, as new, if we wanted to spend the money. We need new sails first, though.


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## dillybar (Nov 10, 2009)

First thanks for the response - I'm always blown away by the quality of the advise available in this forum.
Frankly, it never occurred to me it was a do it your self job. 
I'm on the boat now looking at the hatches and they have a heavy rubber "U" channel gasket (1/2" x 1/2") that the lens sits on and it appears the channel is filled with sealant. There is also a 1/4" bead of black sealer around the periphery of the lens. 
These are Lewmar "ocean" hatches. Could this be different design / procedure than you guys are describing? Without cutting one apart it looks to me like the (rather special looking) gasket would have to be replaced as well. 
Thoughts?


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## billyruffn (Sep 21, 2004)

dillybar said:


> Frankly, it never occurred to me it was a do it your self job..... Thoughts?


Methinks it's not a DIY job. But, I guess that depends on what you want for the outcome.

I have Lewmar Ocean series hatches (now 16 yrs old) on BR. Select Plastics re-glazed them in 2009 and did a great job. They came back looking like new. They will also replace the sealing gasket, handles and provide new hinge parts.

I replaced the sealing gaskets on all 8 of my hatches in 2003 and it was a NOT easy. Took me 3-4 hours to do the first one and at least an hour for subsequent hatches after we went down the learning curve. I had a MIT engineer assisting and he worked out a process involving combination of grease and string that enabled four hands to eventually get the gaskets in place. My guess is that it requires special tools to do it quickly. After the experience of changing the gaskets I would not even have considered attempting the lens replacement.

Send them to Select. You'll get a first rate job.


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## dillybar (Nov 10, 2009)

Thanks for that Billy. 
How is that gasket fixed down. Do they use a sealant on the bottom or a mechanical system of some kind?


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## billyruffn (Sep 21, 2004)

dillybar said:


> Thanks for that Billy.
> How is that gasket fixed down. Do they use a sealant on the bottom or a mechanical system of some kind?


If I remember correctly there's no sealant involved on the hatch sealing gasket (seals the hatch lid to the frame). The black rubber extrusion fits into channels cast or machined (?) on the inside of the hatch top. You have to get two different bits of the rubber extrusion to fit into two parts of the channel on the hatch lid at the same time. It requires pushing and pulling on the rubber and is the source of endless frustration not to mention sore hand muscles.  After a while you get the straight runs down pat and then you have to go around a 90 deg. corner. No fun.


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## dillybar (Nov 10, 2009)

Sounds like time much better spent sailing
Cheers


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## Tanley (Aug 20, 2009)

eherlihy said:


> Select plastics is GREAT!
> 
> I had two old Lewmar Ocean Series hatches that replacement handles cannot be obtained for. Select Plastics retrofitted new handles to these hatches for cheap, while they replaced the lenses.
> 
> ...


Hey, I'm calling foul on this one. Where's the AFTER picture???


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## pdqaltair (Nov 14, 2008)

*DIY, not DIY... DIY, not DIY...*

I think it depends on the DIYer. Yes, there is a skill set--Mainsail, as always, hit the highlights. But nothing in that list was difficult. Or the older I get the more straight forward things seem.

Time? It depends on whether fiddling is painful to you. It isn't to many, it is to others. It depends upon your pleasure. How much time depends on skill as well. Do you have the tools to do each part efficiently?

I've glazed a few hatches over the years and had no problems, but it does take a few hours. The local glass shop has cast acrylic; I got a stack of cut-offs years ago ( they had a big architectural job) and have been making lenses ever since. I was lucky and only have a material for a few left. Cutting them is straight forward enough, but it does seem to take a shop full of tools. That is one of the dirty little secrets of DIY work.

No, it's not as easy as getting a sheet of poly from Home Depot and going after it with a putty knife, saber saw, and caulking gun. But it's not black magic either. Do you like learning?


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## eherlihy (Jan 2, 2007)

Tanley said:


> Hey, I'm calling foul on this one. Where's the AFTER picture???


Yes, I haven't bothered to take a specific picture of the hatch, now that they're fixed.

Here is a pic of the outside:









And here is a pic from the inside, with the Lewmar Roller Screen/shade in place:









Note that in this pic the protective paper was still in place.


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## Tanley (Aug 20, 2009)

Thanks, looks great - may have to do it this off season. What's the profile on the Lewmar roller shades? We'd like to add them, but we're worried about constantly hitting our heads if they're too thick. Topsides look like new by the way.


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## eherlihy (Jan 2, 2007)

Tanley said:


> Thanks, looks great - may have to do it this off season. What's the profile on the Lewmar roller shades? We'd like to add them, but we're worried about constantly hitting our heads if they're too thick. Topsides look like new by the way.


I published a review of them here: http://www.sailnet.com/forums/gear-maintenance/62622-oceanair-vs-lewmar-skyscreens.html.

Don't get your hopes up, they've been discontinued.


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## skipgundlach (Oct 4, 2002)

tommays said:


> one of those 175 dollars VS 1200 dollar projects that was pretty easy


Where did you get your lenses?

We have one of those and a 10" which need replacing...

Skip


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## Christian Williams (Jun 28, 2013)

Here's a video of DIY lens replacement.


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## Mechsmith (Jun 7, 2009)

I would try one of the headlight cleaning kits sold in auto parts stores for plastic headlights. They may do the job pretty well.


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## pdqaltair (Nov 14, 2008)

billyruffn said:


> Methinks it's not a DIY job. But, I guess that depends on what you want for the outcome...


... and skill level. I've done 3 and frankly, have trouble remembering which ones they were. Craft and experience working with many materials. Smaller hatches are an work, larger ones a bit more, once you get the methods down.
* knife to get it loose.
* trace and duplicate. Requires a few special skills and tools.
* small SS wire wheel or brush makes quick work of the remaining silicone. Stay off the exposed anodizing.
* and all the pointers MS mentioned. Spacers and masking.

It does place a premium on working neatly, one step at a time.


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## eherlihy (Jan 2, 2007)

Mechsmith said:


> I would try one of the headlight cleaning kits sold in auto parts stores for plastic headlights. They may do the job pretty well.


THIS is the mess that I had to start with;

















There was no way that an abrasive was going to polish that back...

I used Select Plastics in CT to do the work, and they came back better (the retrofitted the new style latching mechanism) than new.


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## SloopJonB (Jun 6, 2011)

Mechsmith said:


> I would try one of the headlight cleaning kits sold in auto parts stores for plastic headlights. They may do the job pretty well.


No point - they only do the surface while the crazing (shattered look) of a hatch is internal to the plastic.


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## waterwks4me (Jan 16, 2010)

You may want to consider protecting your investment if you replace your acrylic lens from future hazing and crazing. I replaced mine about two years ago and found a rigid type cover that blocks UV rays and reduces heat from the interior. Saw them at the Annapolis Boat Show. We love them.


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