Krogen Manatee Transom Door cables-PITA!

We’re trying to solve a very specific problem on our Krogen Manatee. The drop-down transom door is great, but what a pain to pull it back up!

Those dang support cables don’t stay put inside the track as you’re pulling the door up, so you have to try to push them back in there with your fingers at the same time you’re closing the door on them. Some day I’m going to crush my fingers in it.

The Captain is about to remove the cables, drill an eye loop through the top of the door on the cockpit side, and use a rope to pull it back up. It will work, but I’m not crazy about creating a trip hazard with the eyeloop when we get in the dinghy. Plus any time we don’t have to drill more holes in the boat seems like a good thing.

(FYI we have a swim platform which the door rubrail rests on when it’s down, so I don’t think the hinge is in danger of springing if we remove the cables)

Before we start drilling holes, does anyone have any other suggestions?

Maybe you could put a deck hatch pull in the door. I'm sure you've seen them to open lazarette hatches. When the door is down the pull lays flat in the center near the cap rail.

Ted

Great idea

O C Diver said:

Maybe you could put a deck hatch pull in the door. I'm sure you've seen them to open lazarette hatches. When the door is down the pull lays flat in the center near the cap rail.

Ted

Click to expand...

Great idea Ted. Thanks!

How about a photo of it?

When I built the swim platform, I couldn’t find another Manatee with a setup I liked, so I bologna cut the door in half and hinged it with auto-lifting commercial refrigerator hinges. Like you, I didn’t want the trip hazards. That project is still on the Krogen section of TF, I don’t know, maybe 7 years back.

Drop me a PM with your e-mail and I’ll can send you a video of how it operates.

Yeah…here’s the old project thread.

https://www.trawlerforum.com/forums/s16/radical-manatee-transom-door-mod-21156.html

Wow Larry that is a great solution and, like all your projects, I love seeing the photos. A little more ambitious than what we’re attempting!

Anyhoo, after 3 trips and at least one tank of gas going back and forth to Marine Connection where we looked at all manner of deck hatch pulls and other solutions the Captain is sticking with his original plan using a lifting eye nut. Can’t win ‘em all! (But there’s going to be a whole of of “I told you so’s” the first time he trips on it.)
Thanks for the suggestions

I replaced the cable with dynema line and put some fussing weights on the line at the low point. I pick up the door with the line and it drops into place. Seems to solve several problems