If you have a CD25, you probably have (or once had) an UGLY yellow forward hatch.
Well last spring we decided to do something about it...
We cut out the UGLY yellow part, built a jig and mold (wish I took a picture of it) which wasn't easy because not only was the hatch curved, but it was also thicker on the edges than it was in the middle (or thicker in the middle than it was on the edges - can't remember). Since we had decided to install a piece of translucent plexiglass and we wanted it to fit flush on the outside of the hatch, our jig would have to compensate for the difference in thickness since the fiberglassing would be on the inside.
We ground out and repaired the hairline cracks and chips the 30+ years of wear and tear had left. Then we spray coated the outside with gelcoat.
This is a photo of the finished inside surface, before painting. We built about an inch ledge for the plexiglass to sit on.
This is the outside - you can see the ledge we built here.
A close up...
We pre-drilled both the glass and the hatch so we could just seal and screw into place.
Applying sealant...ooh, a technical action photo...(please take notes here)
Then the panel was screwed into place.
We custom manufactured a resin decal to cover the screws and it also makes a really water-tight seal... And... this is the kind of corny part... rather than plain white, it is printed in light blue (to match her decks) with the lyrics to the song that our boat is named after. Not factory original, but the Skipper let it slide. These are photos after 4 months at the dock.
One thing we may have done differently...we originally wanted to use Lexan, but the plastics guy I used said it would get corroded from the saltwater. I didn't really believe it, but didn't have time or inclination to argue about it or research it, so we went with plexi. While I hesitated to stand on it, we did several times and it didn't budge, so time will tell. Anyway it will be easy enough to pop out the panel and replace it someday if we want or need to.
I will take a photo of the inside when the boat comes out of hiding this spring, it lets an amazing amount of light in - and no leaks - we are very happy with the results.
Best of all - no more UGLY yellow hatch. Actually it is the cleanest part of the boat! If only the rest of her decks could be re-geloated... Skipper?
Maybe next year!Diana