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Bonked my head AGAIN on the main hatch

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delliottg
Former Mainsheet C250 Tech Editor

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USA
4479 Posts

Initially Posted - 09/22/2013 : 10:36:18

Yesterday Rita & I went down to do some chores on SL. It was supposed to be a rainy-ish/cloudy day, but actually turned out to be pretty nice, so I opened the main & bow hatches to keep the interior cool. I'm 6'-2", so I can't stand up in the cabin, unlike Rita at 5' who has 10" of head room. At some point I managed to bonk my head so hard on the forward hatch enclosure that I actually dented my noggin and drew a bit of blood. I can still feel the groove in my head from where I hit, and it's painful to the touch.

This isn't the first time, nor even the half-dozenth over the years. Every time I do it, I think about making some sort of bonk cushion that drops into place when the hatch is opened, and hangs down a little bit into the cabin when it's closed. Think long triangular piece of upholstered dense foam attached to the forward part of the hatch. I know I'm going to hit it again, it's just a matter of time.

Has anyone made something like this? If so, do you have pictures or a narrative?

David
C-250 Mainsheet Editor

Sirius Lepak
1997 C-250 WK TR #271 --Seattle area Port Captain --

Edited by - delliottg on 09/22/2013 11:56:49

Stinkpotter
Master Marine Consultant

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Djibouti
9087 Posts

Response Posted - 09/22/2013 : 10:59:27

We all know the solution to your problem: 5'.

(You're walking under your foredeck?)

Edited by - Stinkpotter on 09/22/2013 11:01:33

delliottg
Former Mainsheet C250 Tech Editor

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4479 Posts

Response Posted - 09/22/2013 : 11:12:35

(You're walking under your foredeck?)
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

No, I'm walking into the forward part of the main hatch, right where the hinge is. There's about a 1-1/2" vertical height change. Not much chance of walking up where the foredeck hatch is, not even sure Rita could stand up there.

Edited by - on

britinusa
Web Editor

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5404 Posts

Response Posted - 09/22/2013 : 12:37:20

Ah, now got it.

Not hit my head for quite a while, but Peggy has talked about wearing a hard hat!

When we have the pop-top up, it's painful to hear the crunch when she stands up after bending over the galley area or reaching into the Stbd cabin seat locker.

A possible solution is a base ball cap that has built in crunch protection.

Paul

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Stinkpotter
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Djibouti
9087 Posts

Response Posted - 09/22/2013 : 13:27:30

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by delliottg
 <blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Stinkpotter
[br(You're walking under your foredeck?)<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">No, I'm walking into the forward part of the main hatch, right where the hinge is.<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">Oh--I misunderstood your term "forward hatch enclosure."

There are some foam, stick-on weatherstripping materials of various thicknesses and densities that might help if attached to the right places...

Edited by - on

delliottg
Former Mainsheet C250 Tech Editor

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USA
4479 Posts

Response Posted - 09/22/2013 : 13:37:59

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Stinkpotter
 <blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by delliottg
 <blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Stinkpotter
[br(You're walking under your foredeck?)<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">No, I'm walking into the forward part of the main hatch, right where the hinge is.<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">Oh--I misunderstood your term "forward hatch enclosure."

There are some foam, stick-on weatherstripping materials of various thicknesses and densities that might help if attached to the right places...
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

The problem with that idea is that when the hatch is closed, the "bonking" surface is no longer exposed (it's covered by the forward edge of the hatch). So you'd need something that could drop free of the hinge area, but fall into place when you opened the hatch. The problem doesn't exist if the hatch is closed. And it's pretty much as Paul described for Peggy, it's always when you've been bent over doing something (so your head clears the hatch just fine), then you stand up either into the joint, or you move forward into the joint.

Paul, I like the idea of a "bump cap", but just don't see me wearing it (or remembering to wear it until I hit my head again and being pissed that I didn't have it on).

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TakeFive
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2272 Posts

Response Posted - 09/22/2013 : 16:16:22

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by delliottg
 ...The problem with that idea is that when the hatch is closed, the "bonking" surface is no longer exposed (it's covered by the forward edge of the hatch)...
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
Are you talking about the edge of the cabin top that is exposed when your pop top is up? Or are you talking about some part of the sliding hatch (smoked acrylic on my boat, fiberglass on some others)?

Either way, our hatches must be constructed differently. I looked and my companionway hatch design today, and the only exposed surfaces that I saw on the forward end could all be covered with adhesive weatherstripping or other padding without obstructing the closing of the hatch.

Edited by - on

frog0911
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1349 Posts

Response Posted - 09/23/2013 : 08:30:18

I am not six feet, but I still had the problem. I say had, because what I found was the eye level of the head knocker was not correct for the brain to determine that a obstacle was there early enough for it to transmit "DUCK". To allow for the brain to assimilate the object earlier I hung four sail teltales from the head knocker and have not hit it since because the eyes see the tales, and the brain now has time to compute and transmit "DUCK" before contact.

Edited by - frog0911 on 09/23/2013 08:32:35

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