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Catalina/Capri 25/250 Sailor's Forums

Catalina 25 Specific Forum

VERY noisy sliding hatch cover

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Lightnup
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1016 Posts

Initially Posted - 02/13/2005 : 01:39:16

My sliding hatch cover screeches loud enough to wake the dead, both opening and closing. I've got some Sail Kote and WD-40 but didn't want to start spraying stuff where it shouldn't be sprayed. Any other quieting suggestions?

Thanks,

Steve (I did a search and couldn't find this topic covered.)

Steve Madden
'87 WK #5668 "Lorica"
Fort Myers, FL

Edited by - on

Doug
Captain

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USA
457 Posts

Response Posted - 02/13/2005 : 01:56:20

On my C22 I drilled a couple small holes in the forward edge of the top hatch. Put some of your basic nylon zip ties through, around the edge, and trimmed them off. The 1/8 of nylon lifted the edge of the hatch off the glass cabin top, and no more noise. It was a temporary fix that worked perfectly for a few years. the I sold the boat...

Edited by - on

Dave Laux
Captain

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318 Posts

Response Posted - 02/13/2005 : 08:11:51

I took my slide off and riveted teflon strips to the bottom of the track area. Smooth and quiet. Dave

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Leon Sisson
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1893 Posts

Response Posted - 02/13/2005 : 09:45:30

Steve,

It's been a while, but the last time this was discussed here there was an impressive variety of clever solutions. As you may know by now, the screeching is usually caused by the front edge of the hatch dragging on the nonskid. Originally the hatch slid on either the teak tracks or the smooth lip along the sides of the hatch opening. As one or both of those areas of the hatch wore away, they allowed the hatch to touch the nonskid.

On mine, I removed tha hatch during regular teak refinishing. With the hatch flipped upside down, I used narrow fiberglass tape and epoxy to build up and stiffen the port & stbd lips of the hatch that ride in the teak tracks. After stripping and throroughly sanding the grooves in the teak, I applied several coats of epoxy resin inside the grooves only. If I were to do that again, I'd include some of the WEST carbon powder additive in the final coat of resin to reduce friction and improve abrassion resistance. Anyway, that cured the problem for me.

I'm sure others will soon contribute their methods (most of which will be less labor intensive than mine

).

-- Leon Sisson

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seastream
Navigator

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USA
242 Posts

Response Posted - 02/13/2005 : 10:15:18

The suggestion of squirting Skin So Soft (yep a hand lotion) in the tracks was made to me. Why that rather than WD40 I don't know (maybe 'cuz 40 stinks). I thought it odd, but tried it and had blessed silence for a season. Granted it's one of the lazier ways out, but it'll do in a pinch 'til time permits a more permanent, proper fix like Leons'.

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ClamBeach
Master Marine Consultant

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3072 Posts

Response Posted - 02/13/2005 : 10:24:35

Silicone spray works too... might have to spritz it a couple times a year.

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dlucier
Master Marine Consultant

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Virgin Islands (United Kingdom)
7583 Posts

Response Posted - 02/13/2005 : 10:29:27

Steve,

Here's the quickest and easiest way to eliminate the screeching from the hatch. Go to the hardware store and purchase a pack of round nylon furniture slides (I bought mine from Sears). They cost about $2.00 a pack and are used on chair legs to make them slide easier over flooring. The ones I bought are white nylon, about the same diameter as a quarter and about 1/8" thick.

To install, first pull out the molded in finish nail with a pair of pliers. Next, take some duct tape rolled on itself and put it on the surface where the nail came out. From the inside of the cabin and with the hatch closed, lift up on the hatch from the inside and tuck the slides between the hatch and the two raised rails of the poptop making sure the tape side is against the sliding hatch.

As for placement, I put one in each corner of the hatch (from inside the cabin) making slight adjustments for and aft to compensate for varying widths of the slots. With the slides in place, the hatch will be lifted a little to prevent the forward part of the hatch from dragging across the poptop rails and waking all of your dock neighbors.

I've been using this system for a few years now and the hatch still moves effortlessly and quietly.

Hint: Don't use a slide that is too think because it will cause the hatch to bind in the teak rails.

Edited by - dlucier on 02/13/2005 10:31:53

aeckhart
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1709 Posts

Response Posted - 02/13/2005 : 14:15:20

Dang, where were you when I had this problem Don. I went the long route, removing the hatch and glassing the flanges to raise them. Sanded smooth they are like new.

Al
GALLIVANT #5801

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Frank Hopper
Past Commodore

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Pitcairn Island
6776 Posts

Response Posted - 02/13/2005 : 14:52:49

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by seastream
 The suggestion of squirting Skin So Soft (yep a hand lotion) in the tracks was made to me. Why that rather than WD40 I don't know (maybe 'cuz 40 stinks).
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
And it keeps mosquitoes away.

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Tony Dillon
Navigator

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USA
168 Posts

Response Posted - 02/13/2005 : 16:04:06

I took a similar approach to Leon's. I went to the local John Deare tractor dealer and picked up a pound of graphite and added some of it to the last layer of resin. The nice thing about thier graphite is the price. Less than $4.00 per pound.

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Lightnup
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1016 Posts

Response Posted - 02/13/2005 : 19:44:30

Wow, I didn't expect so many inventive methods! Think I'll begin with the simplest (Skin-So-Soft) and advance to the most thorough (Leon's) if the others don't work. Besides, if our technical editor says it'll keep the mosquitos away, who am I to argue? Thanks everybody for the input.

Steve

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RL
1st Mate

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USA
76 Posts

Response Posted - 02/14/2005 : 15:13:46

Don,
Thanks, what a clever idea. I've got access to some teflon tabs, same thickness but .5"X1" rectagular. That and some industrial double backed tape should handle the problem. I think I'll sand the leading and trailing edges to reduce any scuffing on the rails. And use 6 per side to spread the weight.
Thanks for the idea.
RL

Edited by - on

Dave Laux
Captain

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318 Posts

Response Posted - 02/14/2005 : 19:10:34

I would suggest that you take the hatch off if you plan on this boat being a long term holding. The usual reason for the slide to rub is that the edges are wearing thru and the side slides are collapsing. Putting pads under them will space them up but will also increase the local loading and speed up the damage. I stand on our slide when mast raising and when furling so I wanted it solid. Dave

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Dave Bristle
Master Marine Consultant

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Djibouti
10005 Posts

Response Posted - 02/15/2005 : 21:56:27

The weight of the hatch shouldn't be supported by the flanges on the sides--it should be supported where the hatch sits on the molded rail on the cabintop. If you reinforce the flanges, they'll wear and eventually crack again--they are just not engineered for that. I did the same thing as Don, but found some nylon slides with rubber cups on top. I notched the cups to fit the vertical forward edge of the hatch, and positioned the slides to run on the rail. Smooth and quiet, and fully capable of supporting a person's weight (which the horizontal flanges are not).

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Dave Laux
Captain

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318 Posts

Response Posted - 02/16/2005 : 18:42:09

You are correct about the way this system should operate but Catalina supported them on the flanges and in my boats case anyway built the rails so that they were round on top and too close to the hatch to allow any bearings to be put in. In any case mine will not wear and crack again. Ours run so easily that if we are pitching in a head sea the hatch slides back and forth by itself. Dave

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Lightnup
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1016 Posts

Response Posted - 02/16/2005 : 22:17:54

Dave Bristle wrote: <blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">...found some nylon slides with rubber cups on top. I notched the cups to fit the vertical forward edge of the hatch, and positioned the slides to run on the rail.<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Dave - I think I found the slides you are describing at the local Ace Hardware Store but I'm having trouble picturing how you altered them to fit. If you wouldn't mind, could you either explain here or email me (maddensteve@comcast.net) a little more detailed explanation of how you installed cut and installed the slides? Do the slides move on the rail or does the hatch move on the slides?

Thanks,

Steve

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John Bixby
Navigator

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118 Posts

Response Posted - 02/16/2005 : 23:28:51

SAME PROBLEM HERE. JUST SPRAYED SAIL KOTE ON LAST WEEK. NICE AND QUITE. HAD TO SPRAY IT TWICE BUT NO SCREECHING NOW.
JOHN

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NuNees
Navigator

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USA
125 Posts

Response Posted - 03/06/2005 : 10:20:49

I have the same problem ... tried the buttoms on the fore lip of the sliding hatch. It was OK until I was too agressive in closing the hatch ... they popped off. I had tried the the gap to the molded rails technique, but on my '85 it was was way to large to fill with the chair slides. That why I put them on the fore lip.
So I've taken Leons Sisson's technique and am finished glassing the 3 layers of fiberglass tape to the slider lips. (One side was broken away from the top and neede reconstruction.) Having dried and firmly set, I sanded it smooth. The Lips are by no means a straight, flat surface, parallel to the teak channel, and never were. But there are solid as a rock.
I have drilled two holes in the fore lip for a couple of nylon ties, just in case!
I could not resist the temptation to paint the repair area. I used 'Pettit Easypoxey Topsides paint' I had left from a rudder repair of 2 years ago. (Looks great ... May have to paint the entire pop top.)
Problem is that the paint is 'grabby' even after 24 hours. Not sticky, but not friction free. I was expecting a hard, enamel like surface that would allow aesier movement. (I guess I should have used graphite in the last coat of resin ... maybe later.)
For now, if anyone has a tip about where I could get a couple of teflon strips, as one of the suggestions mentioned, I like to give it a try.
Going to the marina today to picnoc with the grankids, on the hard, instead of refinishing the teak. Sunny, 65 deg ... remids me of Ft Myers two weeks ago ... can't resist.

Thank you,

Edited by - on

Dave Bristle
Master Marine Consultant

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Djibouti
10005 Posts

Response Posted - 03/06/2005 : 16:35:16

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Lightnup
Dave - I think I found the slides you are describing at the local Ace Hardware Store but I'm having trouble picturing how you altered them to fit. If you wouldn't mind, could you either explain here or email me (maddensteve@comcast.net) a little more detailed explanation of how you installed cut and installed the slides? Do the slides move on the rail or does the hatch move on the slides?
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
Steve: Sorry for the delay... I recently moved and haven't been following things here very thoroughly.

On the nylon slides with the rubber cups on top, cut two 1/4" notches 180 degrees from each other in edges of the cups in two slides. I then lifted the front edge of the hatch as much as I could and slid the slides under the edge, positioned so the slides would run on the molded rails on the cabintop and the edge of the hatch sat on the notches (to keep the slides positioned on the hatch). So, the slides now lift the hatch 1/4" or so, raising the center of the forward edge off the non-skid on the cabintop--the cause of the noise in my case. The hatch moves more smoothly now, but doesn't seem to spontaneously open and close like Dave Laux's. If the rubber cups give out some day, I already have two more slides (from the set of four) as replacements.

Hope this helps...

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