PhilInYVR
Member
- Joined
- Oct 3, 2021
- Messages
- 7
- Vessel Name
- Island Rambler
- Vessel Make
- Martin Lobster 32
Hi Fellow Boaters,
I have a 34 year old lobster boat outfitted for cruising, but like any boat it’s an ongoing labour of love too. One of my current projects is to fix a leaky Vetus hatch over the forward v-berth where we sleep. The current rubber profile is also 34 years old and is compressed, cracked, and leaks when it rains. I have a canvas cover for the hatch that I re-treated with Sunbrella, which helped, and when moored I have a tarp over it, so I am working around the issue but I really would like to fix it properly. Vetus no longer provides replacement profiles for a hatch that old, I’ve spent hours and hours online, in marine stores, and at places like Home Depot trying to find something that works. I tried a Taco option (the manufacturer, not the food item haha) and it was a bit of a “Hail Mary” with a very awkward fit and has the same problem as the original profile, it leaks. Rough specs of the current profile: solid rubber that’s compressible; 190cm/75” circumference; 10mm/0.4” width at the base; 5mm/0.2” width at the top; 11mm/0.43” high but that’s after 34 years of compression so it should probably be 13-14mm/0.5-0.56” high when replaced. If you view the cross-section, it looks like a triangle with the top cut off (10mm base tapering to 5mm wide ‘top’).
Do any of you have any suggestions on where to source something like this? I”m sure I could also use a rectangular profile (10mmx~13mm), or maybe even a round profile (~13mm diameter, just need to secure it into the 10mm wide track in the hatch). Any advice or suggestions you can provide will be greatly appreciated! Thanks!
I have a 34 year old lobster boat outfitted for cruising, but like any boat it’s an ongoing labour of love too. One of my current projects is to fix a leaky Vetus hatch over the forward v-berth where we sleep. The current rubber profile is also 34 years old and is compressed, cracked, and leaks when it rains. I have a canvas cover for the hatch that I re-treated with Sunbrella, which helped, and when moored I have a tarp over it, so I am working around the issue but I really would like to fix it properly. Vetus no longer provides replacement profiles for a hatch that old, I’ve spent hours and hours online, in marine stores, and at places like Home Depot trying to find something that works. I tried a Taco option (the manufacturer, not the food item haha) and it was a bit of a “Hail Mary” with a very awkward fit and has the same problem as the original profile, it leaks. Rough specs of the current profile: solid rubber that’s compressible; 190cm/75” circumference; 10mm/0.4” width at the base; 5mm/0.2” width at the top; 11mm/0.43” high but that’s after 34 years of compression so it should probably be 13-14mm/0.5-0.56” high when replaced. If you view the cross-section, it looks like a triangle with the top cut off (10mm base tapering to 5mm wide ‘top’).
Do any of you have any suggestions on where to source something like this? I”m sure I could also use a rectangular profile (10mmx~13mm), or maybe even a round profile (~13mm diameter, just need to secure it into the 10mm wide track in the hatch). Any advice or suggestions you can provide will be greatly appreciated! Thanks!
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