floor hatch

[davedogwood]

1998 268 Islander, has anyone hinged this floor hatch to access empty space behind tank? I was thinking it would make a nice storage area with a little work.

 

[Chessie246G]

Maybe a hatch door for access. I wouldn't hinge the whole thing, It needs to be watertight encase you take a wave over the bow or stern.

 

[Hookup1]

First of all do you have one or two tanks? I see two fuel fills. If you pull the access plates on the hatch you will know for sure if you have one or two tanks.

Technically the area under the hatch is a fuel compartment. It isolates the fuel tanks from the bilge, is fire-stopped around all the hoses and the hatch caps everything off. All of this keeps fumes from getting to a source of a spark. In the photo below you can see the smaller aft hatch seals off the bilge/battery compartment from the fuel compartment. You can just see the end of the forward/main tank - most is under the helm. The visible tank is the aft tank that isn't there on a single tank boat.



If you do decide to use that area I would split that hatch or build a new one to seal off the forward tank compartment. Build another lift hatch for the other compartment. Keep in mind that new compartment doesn't drain into the bilge. Fuel compartment is plugged to prevent leaking fuel tanks or hoses from getting into the bilge.

 

[SkunkBoat]

put a Tempress hatch over the area you want to access. Don't try to hinge that hatch. Needs to be sealed and its very heavy.

 

[Hookup1]

Hatch is likely waterlogged and needs to be rebuilt. Common problem.

 

[davedogwood]

Thanks for the replies. Single tank, had the hatch open to run some new lines wires. Does have some soft spots so figured while giving it a makeover make use of the spack behind the tank. A smaller prefabricated hatch is probably the better choice.