1989 Outrage 25 Forward Hatches Bounce Open In Rough Seas

[VBWhaler]

The four forward hatches on my restored 1989 OUTRAGE 25 bounce open in rough seas.

Give me ideas for preventing this.

[jimh]

To reduce the tendency for a hatch to open in rough seas:

• reduce boat speed in rough seas;
• install pad eyes to the underside of the hatch and to the bottom or side of the deck compartment the hatch covers; the pad eyes for the hatch may need to be through-bolted; and,
• use a bungie cord of appropriate length to apply tension to the hatch to keep it closed by fastening the ends of the bungie cord to a pad eye on the hatch and to the pad eye on the compartment bottom or side.

An alternative may be to use gas strut hatch supports.

Another alternative is to use a Velcro-type material and fashion Velcro-type opening restraints. Look for Velcro material in a suitable color.