Question on C18 hatch hinge position

[WOT-sup]

Greetings and Happy New Year all!

Getting ready to install the engine hatch and have 2 questions:

1. Where are the hinges placed laterally, what is the distance from the centerline (ie middle of the stripe)?

2. Is the hinge pin aligned directly over the seam between deck and the hatch or is it slightly offset aft? Concerned about lip clearance and center of rotation here.

The boat is off to the engine shop on Tuesday for the install(!!) so I'm hoping to get this done before then while there is still open access in the compartment, so thanks in advance for the inputs.

Brad

[olredalert]

-----Not sure on placement but dont do what I did,Brad,and put the hinges on in such a way(backwards) that you cant slide the hatch off the hinges! I considered that story for the stupidest things you have ever done segment,but felt it just missed the cut!
-----And a Happy New Year to you and Bobbi as well as all the other members of the DONZI family.Had a great New Years get-together with Doc,Liz,and the incomparable Sommervilles last night. Much Tequila and other assorted alcoholic beverages were absorbed,and a generally great time was had. Thanks Todd,and Jill,for a terrific evening,and a peak at the newest Sommerville hacienda. Oh,and I dont care if I am a Chevy guy,that thing with the blower in the garage is bitchin!!!!! Trying to figure out the Miami Boat Show now...........Bill+Jan S

[WOT-sup]

Bill, good input on hinges. I had wondered about the 'quick-disconnect' config possibbly causing a problem at an inopportune time (like the hatch leaving), but gather the quick -disco rather than 'locked-in' is the norm.

Lets get together in Miami, we'll be down there for about a week.

Brad

[Ranman]

The factory installs the hatches in the locked position on all new boats. To remove the hatch, I have to take the hinges off (3 nuts and bolts per side).

[WOT-sup]

Thanks for the input Ranman.Sounds like Plan A may be the way to go. Got my 'hatch latch' and keeper installed today...it's starting to come together.

Brad

[olredalert]

Brad,

-----I have seen these hinges drilled through on the end and then drilled and tapped into the reciever with a pan-head machine screw. Makes it nice as you can just take one screw out and remove the hatch. Whatever company (Perko,I believe) makes these hinges actually sells or did sell them modified like this.
-----Theres a marine salvage guy near me (Earl the Pearl,really!) who has tons of these hinges brand new,or at least he did,and Ill try to gey down by there and see if he has any drilled out as I have described. Unless you have already drilled the holes for the hinges you have hold off on that as the holes on these might not match up to yours. Ill get down there the first of the week and see if he has any. They work slick on my Corsican!........Bill S

[WOT-sup]

Hey Bill,

Not to interfere with a good excuse for a boat part outing, but I just had my existing hindges redone. Thanks for the consideration. Ed of Orion Willsey Plating in Bradenton said they were 'old metal'. They were 2 of the 6 pieces of hardware that came with the boat, perhaps they are original.
It would be fun to go to the 'surplus store'you have mentioned one of these days. How far from you is it?

Brad

[BUIZILLA]

Bill, the hinges on the 22 that Poodle sold Hanker are drilled through the ends, and have 5/16" oval head screws.... if i'm not mistaken.

J

[MOP]

Another thing to do is to make sure the hinges are not canted, they should be shimmed to make sure the they are level and rotate on the same axis so they do not flex the hatch. If they are mounted flush on the surface they will create a flexing every time you raise the hatch and eventualy cause flex cracking in the gel coat. On our boats the outer edge of the hinge needs to be raised nearly 1/8 of an inch with washers to eliminate the flex and hinge bind.

[olredalert]

Brad,

-----I have lost track of how much time you are spending here in Motown. Give me a call any weekday and we can grab some grub somewhere and visit the very famous "Earl-the-Pearl". Nothing particularly cheap there but its a trip!.........Bill s

[NoTime]

olredalert, If you get to "Earl-the-Pearl" I would be very thankful to know if he has any engine hatch hinges that will fit my '90 22C. Mine are busted and/or bent. Need to replace.

Thanks.

Chuck

[olredalert]

Chuck,

-----The one thing I need to know is if we are on the same page. Can you or someone else on the board post a picture of a circa 92 hatch hinge. I think its the same as what we have been talking about but am just not sure. With that said Ill be happy to sometime this week or next.........Bill S

[Bob]

I'm looking for those type of hinges too! I believe that they are called barrel hinges?? My Hornet has two hatches so I need 4 total. Does Earl have a web site? Any help would be much appreciated.

[NoTime]

olredalert, MadPoodle seems to be right. Those pictures look just like mine. I took some detailed pictures of one of the broken hinges and will email them to you (I don't yet know how to add photo's to a post here).

Chuck

[NoTime]

Think I figured out the photo attach. So here are detailed photos of the broken hinge from my '90 22 Classic.
http://www.donzi.net/photos/Hinge_bright.jpg
http://www.donzi.net/photos/Hinge_full.jpg
http://www.donzi.net/photos/Hinge_male.jpg
http://www.donzi.net/photos/Hinge_female.jpg

[olredalert]

To Chuck,

------That looks like 3 1/2" over all.

To Bob,

------Dont think he has a website but I will check when Im down there. Have known him by E the P so long that I dont remember the name of his co. Are your hinges 3 1/2 across as well?.........Bill S

[MOP]

Here are a couple I found when looking for hinges.

http://www.western-marine.com/page63.htm

http://www.diymarine.com/diypages/cast_hinges.asp has three sizes.

http://www.amosmarinehardware.com/hinges/hinges_index.html
I have the MH0608A on my hatch excellent quality

[NoTime]

Bill, Just over 3 1/2 about 3 9/16 and mine has been drilled and tapped for the retainer screw, so it is going to be about 3 5/8 as it was originally cast.

Chuck

[NoTime]

Phil,

How does that MH0608A work? Does the hatch lift out of the channel cleanly? Thought maybe a hinge which got the pivot point further away from the channel like MH0608C might allow for a cleaner lift. Any thoughts?

Chuck

[Bob]

The hinges on my Hornet are not the originals. The photos that no-time posted look to be what should have been original on my Hornet.
Hornets had at least 2 different hatch styles. A single hatch that had two hinges aft (like the newer C18 and C22)- and a double hatch that with hinges port and starboard with two Donzi "button" latches in the middle. My 1971 is the two hatch model. If my math is right- I need 4 hinges.

[Greg Maier]

A few weeks ago, I took my hatch off so that I could take it home and work on the finish. Well, the hinges were a royal pain in the ass to get off. They were in the locked position, as talked about earlier in this thread. With these hinges there really isn't an unlocked position. The hinges are mirror images of each other, and there is no way to mount them so that the hatch can be taken off without removing the hinges.

So, I called my friendly neighborhood Donzi Dealer today to order a new set. The parts guy was quite an A$$ (aren't businesses in business to make money). He told me that I was crazy and the hinges could be rotated 180 degrees to provide the unlocked configuration that I wanted. I disagreed with him, and then he started questioning why any sane person would want the hinges in the unlocked position anyway. I don't think this guy has ever worked in the engine compartment of a 22 Classic.

Anyway, if anybody with a 22 Classic, who is in the same position that I am, would like to swap a hinge with me, let me know.

[MOP]

Greg the parts guy is 100% right, the reciever ends face one direction and the pins the other so you can slide them out is one direction. This type of hinge is older tham me! "Thats near Dirt"

MOP

[Greg Maier]

Phil,

I beg to differ ! No disrespect, but I think you are mistaken. If the hinges were of the same mold, you would be right, but, the hinges are mirror images.

[MOP]

I know what you are trying to say but if you face the receivers both facing the same direction and the pin ends the other they will slid apart whether the same casting or not. try it on your bench you will see it will work. My pin ends face to port and my receiver ends face Stbd, I just slide my hatch to port and off it comes. Because you have different castings you will have one of each type on the hatch rather than the norm of matching but it will still work. Honest try it.

Phil

[Greg Maier]

Phil,

Still won't work. You didn't pass geometry in school, did ya?

[boxy]

Greg, I think Phil wants you to put a male and a female part on the deck, and a male and female part on the hatch, then you should be able to slide it off.....

[Greg Maier]

Boxy,

That still won't work. The male and female part on the hatch would have to move in different directions to unlock. Looks are deceiving, but it really doesn't work. I'm certainly not a Rubic's Cube Master, but there is no way to make these hinges work like you say.

[MOP]

Yeah you do have a right set and a left set. Mixed so it won't work!

I Give!

[Greg Maier]

So now that I've finally convinced Phil, lets get back to the issue. Would anybody out there who has an unmatched set of hinges, like I do, like to swap a hinge with me. The outcome would be that we both have a matching set of hinges. Any takers?