Ron in Atlanta Posted March 9, 2017 Report Share Posted March 9, 2017 Back in September last year we were talking about the fact that the spring that is supposed to hold the anchor locker hatch open on the newer boats doesn't. Well, it does sometimes but about 1 in 4 times it lets the hatch slam down - hard. Someone had suggested "friction hinges". I got a pair from Gem but found that the holes are in slightly different positions meaning that the old holes had to be filled, dried, and new holes drilled. We finally got around to it. Since the friction hinges take a bit of force to open and close, we decided to through-bolt them, not use "wood screws". Sorry about the mess, took the photos before I cleaned up. The hinges look good. If they loosen up, i.e., loose some friction holding, there is an adjustment... and as you can see, they hold the hatch up at any angle.../ Now that I know they work, I'm going to remove the original spring and toss it away! The hinges do not open 180 degrees, so I may keep the wire from inside the spring assembly in place to keep the hatch from accidental;y "over opening". By the way, I heard from an anonymous source that MBC was going to start using these friction hinges on the new boats since the spring thing wasn't working so good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JEM Posted March 9, 2017 Report Share Posted March 9, 2017 WOW! Zaino Ron is human after all. I see some rust stains and what appears to be a tiny bit of mildew. It only took an electron microscope camera to see it, but I did see it! It makes me feel better about myself. Nice upgrade, by the way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishmanjj Posted March 9, 2017 Report Share Posted March 9, 2017 Don't worry...Ron probably had those stains removed and at least three coats of Zaino wax on that area shortly after the photos were taken. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fin-addict Posted March 9, 2017 Report Share Posted March 9, 2017 11 hours ago, JEM said: WOW! Zaino Ron is human after all. I see some rust stains and what appears to be a tiny bit of mildew. It only took an electron microscope camera to see it, but I did see it! It makes me feel better about myself. Nice upgrade, by the way. thinking that too.fin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron in Atlanta Posted March 9, 2017 Author Report Share Posted March 9, 2017 19 hours ago, fishmanjj said: Don't worry...Ron probably had those stains removed and at least three coats of Zaino wax on that area shortly after the photos were taken. Right you are... I was in a hurry to document a solution to a longstanding and common problem. Sorry to disappoint anyone - Next, I'm going to chrome plate that old galvanized Danforth anchor 😀. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishmanjj Posted March 9, 2017 Report Share Posted March 9, 2017 I'm surprised you don't have a highly polished stainless steel anchor , chain and hardware on Miss Laurie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SCFD rtrd. Posted March 10, 2017 Report Share Posted March 10, 2017 Wow, first thing I thought about when I saw that pic was, "Man this is not like Ron". Glad you found a solution to the hatch slamming. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RodWorks Posted March 10, 2017 Report Share Posted March 10, 2017 Nice upgrade. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruce J Posted March 18, 2017 Report Share Posted March 18, 2017 Thanks, Ron. I think I started that thread back in September. That anchor hatch is literally my only complaint about my wonderful 2400 TRS. I'm not crazy about the thought of doing even minor surgery on a brand new boat, but your solution looks great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron in Atlanta Posted March 18, 2017 Author Report Share Posted March 18, 2017 8 hours ago, Bruce J said: Thanks, Ron. I think I started that thread back in September. That anchor hatch is literally my only complaint about my wonderful 2400 TRS. I'm not crazy about the thought of doing even minor surgery on a brand new boat, but your solution looks great. I hear you Bruce! My first power boat was a little Key West flats boat. It came without bow cleat which I wanted to add. As you know, the pop-up cleats require a significant hole to be cut in the boat 😧. I talked a friend of mine, who is actually an ER doctor and a surgeon, into doing the cutting! This job wasn't quite so invasive. The new hinges fit into the depression molded into the deck for the original hinges. The only surgery required was the filling and re drilling of the holes for the thru-bolts. I will admit that I had the job done by my fiberglass guy. Good luck and see you out there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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