Loose Day Hatch flange!

I just noticed that my day hatch has come loose. Not the cover but the part that the cover attaches to. It appears that it was glued using some sort of silicon based substance. I managed to pull it off the flange and it is very stretchy.



Any suggestions as to what I can use to get it back in place?



Thanks



Andy

Fixing hatckes ala Nigel Dennis
http://www.seakayakinguk.com/kayak_care/repairhatch.shtml


  1. Remove the old Sikaflex from hatch rim and kayak recess.


  2. Sand down the underside of the rim (The surface that you glue on to the kayak).


  3. Wipe the surfaces with acetone in order to remove all grease.


  4. Place a plastic sheet in the bottom of the kayak to catch the Sikaflex drips.


  5. Place the hatch rim in the hatch recess. Carefully wax the surface of the deck around the hatch rim. This will stop any excess Sikaflex from sticking to the kayak.


  6. Remove the rim and run a bead of Sikaflex – 221 around the rim.


  7. Work the rim carefully into the recess making sure that the Sikaflex covers both surfaces evenly. The excess will squeeze out.


  8. Place a flat piece of timber over the hatch rim with a 10lb weight on the timber. This will keep the rim in place until the Sikaflex cures. Leave this for approx. 8hrs without disturbing.


  9. Remove the weight and clean off the excess Sikaflex.


  10. Drill 4 x holes evenly spaced through the hatch rim and deck of the kayak. Use 4mm diameter x 14mm long rivets. Place a washer on each rivet and push it up through the holes. These rivets should self seal, but as an extra precaution fill the exposed hole in the top of each rivet with sealer.


  11. Check for rough edges inside the kayak and remove if necessary.


Perfect!
Thanks!



Andy

Fixed it!
Could not find Sikaflex. So I used a silicon based sealant. Cleaned everything first, sanded flange lightly. Applied silicon and then put flange in place. Put some weight on it. Once it cured, I drilled 4 small holes and used 4 stainless steel machine screws and fastend. Screws do not impede attachment of day hatch cover.



Andy

Congrats & a warning
Silicone caulk seals well, but it contaminates the surfaces and makes getting any other sealant to stick well near impossible. But if you were thorough, no need to worry…



Jim

Additionally…
…silicone bonds poorly compared to other products and probably won’t last long. If I were Andy, I’d remove the rim again, clean off the silicone residue (IIRC, hexane is required for that) and reinstall it with a better sealant. You don’t need Sikaflex, as 3M 5200 or one of the GOOP products will do the job.