Hatch repair idea

The front hatch coaming on my old VCP Skerray RMX has partially seperated from the deck and is leaking badly. Since there is no adhesive that I know about available at the retail level that will stick to polyethylene plastic (and I worked for a few years in hardware retailing so I know a lot about adhesives), I need to come up with another way to reattach it. Here’s what I’m thinking: drill six or eight holes around the hatch through the deck and the coaming flange; break the coaming completely loose from the deck and clean off the old adhesive; apply a sealant to the flange; then rivet the coaming back in place. No sealant will stick very well to the plastic, but with the rivets to do the mechanical work of holding the coaming in place, the sealant will simply provide a “gasket” to seal it.



Good idea? Stupid? Give up and stick a float bag in there? Discuss.

U need a new rim
sounds like you just need to re-install a new rim.



remove the old one and with marine sealant and ss fasteners attach the new one.



It’s a VCP rim, right? should be able to get one from GRO. I’d use Rule marine sealant or 3M 5200.



steve

Rim is OK
The hatch rim (I call it the “coaming”) is all one piece, and it is glued to the underside of the deck–no fasteners. It’s not broken, just seperating from the deck because the glue has let go.

have you
tried the 3M 5200 , I’ve been usin it on the bulkheads for a few tears and it hold pretty nicely . I don’t think it’s the sealant that isn’t good but rather the abuse and flexing from trailering and such that makes em leak , but I’m usally able to get a summer out of one repair.

Won’t stick
The 5200 does not adhere to polyethylene.

It will
under compression, hence the ss hardware. i’d use 6 or more ss fasteners( machine screw,nylocs and neo washers). or the Rule sealant.



take off the old one,clean up, re-install.



steve

glue for repair
I don’t have any hardware retailing experience, but one of my favorite glues is GOOP, available at Lowe’s/Home Depot. It’s a great glue for plastic in general. Haven’t tried it on a kayak yet, but every other type of plastic I’ve used it on it’s never failed in any number of years.



GC

GOOP
GOOP sticks to plastics fairly well, but I don’t want to trust it for something as critical as a hatch. It might be a good choice for the sealant material, though, if I go with the circle of fasteners idea.

yep
under the compression of the fasteners GOOP will be fine. generally a good technique is to tighten the fasteners about a hair from snug, let the sealant cure (24+ hrs) then come back and snug the screws down, putting a bit more ‘compression’ on the sealant. This is what I do when 5200 bedding fittings on my sailboat.



steve

Sounds like a plan!
But I might stick the float bag in there anyway just in case. After all, the bulkheads are glued in the same way! I shouldn’t be surprised if they fail soon, too.

what about sika flex
that is what they probably used at the factory. I would call GRO and see what they suggest. I think if you bought a new hatch kit and used sika flex you might get it back together pretty well.

lexel…
http://www.brandnametools.biz/cleaning_paint_supplies/s/Specialty_Caulk/_1419419.htm

whatever’s handy
any marine sealant or bedding compound will work. Sika- flex, 3M, Goop, Lexel. they all work under compression. I’d use whatever tube is open! or the one they have @ the Chandlery.



steve