Taylor Made 20 x 20 Hatch Replacement

Shoyrtt

Shoyrtt

Alamitos to Avalon
SILVER Sponsor
Jul 16, 2020
1,891
Alamitos Bay, CA
Boat Info
1999 450 Express Bridge, 9’ Achilles dinghy w/15hp Suzuki EFI
Engines
Caterpillar 3126TA
On my list of items to take care of before the season starts is a small leak in the original Taylor Made hatch above our master stateroom. The previous owner used caulking to seal it shut and my inspector did not list it as an issue and I was too green at the time to notice the problem at the time of purchase back in July. As a temporary fix I added a little more caulking to fix the leak, but I acknowledge this is a safety issue to exit in case of a fire. I told my wife I could kick it open in an emergency, but she wasn't impressed. :)

Taylor Made no longer makes the exact hatch, but they do offer a 20x20 "Ultra III" hatch and trim ring. https://www.overtons.com/ultra-iii-...V9iCtBh34zAc4EAQYASABEgK_cvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds
Taylor Made.jpg


Has anyone here used this as a replacement? Are there any alternatives out there that you would recommend over the Taylor Made? Maybe Bomar? Thank you again for the help.
Jim
 
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If it was sealed shut, can you rebuild it. Sounds like all you need is a new seal.
 
Golfman25 said:
See if you can match the seal up at this place (marina rat recomended it). https://www.steelerubber.com/
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I'm leaning toward just getting a whole new unit. I was reading that down in Florida, hatch replacement is fairly common every five years when the boat is uncovered. My boat was in a covered slip for over ten years with the prior owners. In my search around the boat, I found a brand new Sunbrella cover for the hatch that was apparently never used. I think the hatch and all of the seals got torched in the 110+ degree Sacramento Delta summers and the prior owners tried to "band aid" it back together. It's a hefty bullet at $769, but I'll use the brand new cover I have for it to hopefully protect it.
 
You are heading the right direction in just replacing it. The biggest issue is usually the trim work on the inside. You might look for a good shade system to help trim it. I think the name of that company is ocean shade. Here in FL it is pretty rare when we even open that hatch to be honest just to damn hot. One thing to check for sure is the radius, I went to replace the one on my Princess and turned out the radius was nothing that was available from anywhere I could find even in Europe. I ended up rebuilding the whole thing.
 
dtfeld said:
Watch this -->
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Great video! I really liked starting around the 8 minute mark his technique for placing the hatch and how he used tape to help with the excess sealant.
 
I resealed my Taylor Made 20 x 20 deck hatch last Winter. It was fairly easy, but did take some time to clean all of the old sealant off. Mr. Clean magic eraser was very useful.

I used Dow Corning 795 to reseal the glass to the frame and 3M 4000UV to bed the frame to the deck. No leaks after one season.
 
I just did this a few days ago. It's not a bad job at all. I used Life Calk sealant to re-bed the frame, but I used the Taylor D shape 1/2"x1/2" sponge gasket for the glass where it opens and closes.
 
It sounds like you're saying it's leaking between the glass and the deck frame? All that you need to do is get rid of the sillycone that someone used and replace the foam-rubber gasket. $20 and done.
 
Lazy Daze said:
It sounds like you're saying it's leaking between the glass and the deck frame? All that you need to do is get rid of the sillycone that someone used and replace the foam-rubber gasket. $20 and done.
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Dennis, when I took a look at it the only void I could find was at the hinge. (Circled in red from the video above)
Hatch.jpg


I added some sealant in the void and added to the band air, stopping the leak. I think the inner seal/gasket is shot. The replacement seal/gasket from Taylor Made is part #1725. A little more digging on Taylor Made's site says it is only for model years 1990-93. https://www.taylormadeproducts.com/products/flags-and-deck-hardware/ultra-iii-hatches/

This video reviews the Taylor Made hatch seal/gasket on a Sundancer and even lists the #1725 part number, but again, I think this only for early 90s boats.

 
"I added some sealant in the void and added to the band air, stopping the leak."

OK, that's good - that's what I thought you were saying. Yes, this sounds like the only thing wrong is the seal that runs the perimeter underneath the glass/frame. You could try calling TaylorMade directly to see if they still have a seal that will fit. If no joy, open things up and remove a section of the seal. A simple and quick way to reseal things would be to use shrink wrap tape until you get it figured out. All you really need to do is match it, based on size, to a closed-cell rubber seal that you can buy other places (keep in mind the current one might be a bit compressed). Taco Marine would be a source - as would Mcmaster Carr.
 
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