Hatch story

[Donzified]

Lets have a few lost hatch / all most lost hatch / knew someone who lost the hatch stories.
I know there is a few "been there done that" out there.

[clayman]

Well, I guess someone lost the one on mine, or I wouldn't be trying to replace it. The previous owner didn't know what happened to it either. Oh, I checked with all about boats, there about $800 bucks for a new hatch.

[Rick]

So... I am hauling my 21GT from Bolivar Missouri to Destin Florida where I know a great guy who is going to do a deck off resto. Of course in the deliverance part of the boothill (I can say this because I am a Hillbilly) I have a blowout and you guessed it no spare and they are 14.5 in low boys on the factory 69' Donzi trailer. Believe it or not found the exact tire in a town of 600. Moving on down the road four more hours about 40 miles north of Jackson, Mississippi. I noticed a flash of somthing in my drivers side mirror, and my heart rose to my throat. That didn't just happen! Pulled over, had to wait for the train of semis to go by that I had just passed so that I could open the door, Stepped out...looked at the boat and could see a pair of spark arrestors. Looked up the highway and could see a white sliver of somthing on the shoulder about a half mile back. (Did I say I was making good time). I jogged back expecting to salvage some hardware. When I got there the hatch was intact with two broken corners and some ground off glass on the bottom. How it flew up and missed or was missed by the semis I have no idea, I was traveling in exess of 70 mph, the powerstoke macho puller. So now I am carrying a 21GT hatch a half mile on the shoulder of the interstate. A nice gentleman in a pickup that worked for CHEP a pallett manufacturer up the road had pity let me put the hatch in his pickup and gave me a ride back to my rig. What luck (the eternal optomist). I did notice one thing and that was that after the hatch was off the boat pulled better at 75. Guess I had some active aerodynamic aids earlier. This is my hatch story and I promised myself to check for the hood pins from now on. Guess just the luck of the DONZI to come out intact with no one hurt. CHECK YOUR HATCHES OFTEN. Rick

[DonziDave]

About 6 years ago I was doing the spring clean up on my '86-18. I removed the lock screw from the hatch hinge (only one hinge has this screw) so that I could remove the hatch by sliding it off the hinge pins. Somehow, I lost the lock screw.
A few weeks later I had 3 people in the back seat and honking along at a pretty good clip when one of the passengers tells me the hatch just launched itself about 20' in the air. I stopped and looked back to see the horror of a missing hatch. I turned the boat around and re-traced my path and, God Bless Donzi flotation, the hatch was floating in the lake without a scratch on it. Popped it back on and put the hammer down.
What happened---? Someone with their arm on the back seat hit the latch on the hatch and unlocked it. The air got under the hatch and BOOM! Because of the missing lock screw in the hinge, the hatch released and plopped into the lake - no damage. Had the lock screw been in place the hatch would have blown back - the transom lifting ring would have split the hatch - and then the hatch hinges would have been torn out of the deck! Glad I lost that screw!!
P.S. I still have not replaced the screw.

[marcdups]

I know that this incedent nearly happened on Forrest's cooler lid though, bet Nathan still has that pic of the fly by at Eufala.

BTW what is the scoop on Eufala or is it SEADOGS from now on??
Bunch of dogs you eek! eek! :D