Making better access to and through the engine room

I have a Sea Ranger39 and am seriously considering making some mods to the heavy and awkward hatches to the engine room.
What have others done in making their hatches easier to handle.

Greetings,
Welcome aboard. Like the duck!

I'm considering the same thing-thinking about adding hinges and gas shocks-but I would need to modify my hatches.

Fixed


2 Linear Actuators 12" inch Stroke 12V 110V Power Supply With Remote Bracket Set

Yep, I'm thinking about a slight mod for me also.....I'd like the DC overhead lights to come on when I open the hatch. Thinking a micro switch like the Commisary hatch has would be the cats ass. Ya, that's the ticket!

I've just added bigger flush lifting handles to all four of the heavy hatches. Much better than the little finger lifts that two of the hatches had since 1984. My new ones were made in Red China and were mailed from there in about three weeks, 316 Stainless; they look like the old Perko lift that the Lazarette hatch has. eBay, about $26. for four: Boat Hatch Locker Lift / Pull Ring Handle -316 Marine Stainless steel | eBay

DHeckrotte said:

I've just added bigger flush lifting handles to all four of the heavy hatches. Much better than the little finger lifts that two of the hatches had since 1984. My new ones were made in Red China and were mailed from there in about three weeks, 316 Stainless; they look like the old Perko lift that the Lazarette hatch has. eBay, about $26. for four: Boat Hatch Locker Lift / Pull Ring Handle -316 Marine Stainless steel | eBay

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I just put the exact same one on my two hatches in the berth floor, very good stuff for the price and solid.

L.

I'm old so a hatch or two with lift actuators might be the ticket.

How about cutting a hatch in your hatch, just big enough to comfortably drop through for engine checks etc. Pull the big hatches only when required. I did basically did this on my 4788 and my engine checks became a lot more frequent!

shelli said:

I have a Sea Ranger39 and am seriously considering making some mods to the heavy and awkward hatches to the engine room.
What have others done in making their hatches easier to handle.
View attachment 64980

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Depending on your budget, you could consider gas struts and hinges. That way you can keep the current hatches.

dimer2 said:

How about cutting a hatch in your hatch, just big enough to comfortably drop through for engine checks etc. Pull the big hatches only when required. I did basically did this on my 4788 and my engine checks became a lot more frequent!

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I'm not Twiggy. ha Plus there's about a four foot drop down to the ER. I've got to find some sort of ladder, as well.

RT Firefly said:

Greetings,
Welcome aboard. Like the duck!

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Thanks!

This is one thing I haven't grasped about coastal boats at all, not having some form of automatic lifts on hatches. They are the norm today on 26' runabouts and I was shocked to see 50' boats that you had to manually open the hatches.

BandB said:

This is one thing I haven't grasped about coastal boats at all, not having some form of automatic lifts on hatches. They are the norm today on 26' runabouts and I was shocked to see 50' boats that you had to manually open the hatches.

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That and the weight of the hatches.

In many cases they are stupidly heavy and awkward.

I kind of get why they don't have gas shocks that often. In many cases it's easier to lift the hatch up and move it out of the way to get full clear access.

While it might add to their costs, I think builders should consider making their access hatches as light as possible. Especially "trawler" builders since I'm guessing they are marketing to an older owner demographic.

Capt.Bill11 said:

That and the weight of the hatches.



In many cases they are stupidly heavy and awkward.



I kind of get why they don't have gas shocks that often. In many cases it's easier to lift the hatch up and move it out of the way to get full clear access.



While it might add to their costs, I think builders should consider making their access hatches as light as possible. Especially "trawler" builders since I'm guessing they are marketing to an older owner demographic.

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I think I was on a newer Ranger Tug and the access hatch to the engine room had a remote-switch lift system.

shelli said:

I think I was on a newer Ranger Tug and the access hatch to the engine room had a remote-switch lift system.

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To me, that's the only way to go. I want to push a button and watch it open.

My boat has the traditional heavy hatches. With the exception of the center hatch they are without any hinges. The advantage to the hingeless hatches is that with the hatch and the attached insulation, my boat is quiet. The hatches can also be lifted away to allow complete access to the top of the engine. They are a pain to move. I have done that weekly for the past 3 months and am tired of it. However, without a lot of modifying, it isn't easy to add hinges.

However, the aft most hatch is over the fuel filters, fuel manifold, and the valves for the fuel transfer line and site tubes. I added to SS hinges to the top of the hatch here and added a hook and eye to hold it in the open position. It has made a huge difference in the easy of access. I have considered gas shocks but they would simply get in the way.

Shelli,
I step down about half way on part of my engine. A bracket for oil and fuel filters. At the fwd end I step on my valve cover and/or the exhaust manifold.

Also as you can see in the picture looking aft there is a 2nd hatch. That hatch was not part of the original boat (see avatar). The PO cut away a 2X4 floor beam and used the cutaway (cut at an angle) put back in as the hatch/deck support. Had the boat for over 10 years and only discovered that it was not original about 4 hers ago. Been numerous times in 7' or so seas and no structural downside has shown it's ugly head.

What about replacing some of the wooden structure on the bottom of the hatch with aluminum channel?

Hinges and struts and shocks all will get in the way of full and easy access to the engines.

One idea, you could recut the hatches smaller which will make them lighter having half the weight and less bulky so then easier to lift and put out of the way. So instead of 2 have 4 hatches per side.

gaston said:

Fixed


2 Linear Actuators 12" inch Stroke 12V 110V Power Supply With Remote Bracket Set

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Gaston,

This is really the way to go. I used one of these struts on a friends garden tractor to give him a power three point rear hitch, in place of the old Symplicity manual lift. It's been working great for over five years now.

If you have to remove the hatch completely. Install pit pin mounts on the hatch end of the actuator.

BandB said:

To me, that's the only way to go. I want to push a button and watch it open.

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Make sure there is a workable plan B for when plan A fails, and it eventually will.

Ted

After I bought my latest boat, I quickly realized I could not lift the engine boxes by myself if I needed access to the outboard sides of my engines. There is pretty good access between them via two smaller lift out hatches for checking oil, coolant, fuel and belts. But, being a small express-style boat, the boxes are actually seating units, storage, cleaning station, live well etc. and weigh around 200 lb. A two-man job at best.

My solution was to install lifting rings at the lower edge of the boxes, both forward and aft. I then installed corresponding rings/padeyes in the hardtop and frame above them and now use a Warn PullzAll hand-held electric winch that lifts either end of a box to about a 45° angle for better access. Easey peasey. I do use a safety strut just in case.

The winch is 120VAC so plan A is to use the generator if away from the dock, or plan B is to use an old boom vang if I completely lose power. I converted it to Dyneema and soft shackles instead of wire to avoid scratching anything. It can obviously be used for other lifting chores as well.



Not as elegant as a single pushbutton, but it is easy to handle and works well.

Maybe something like this could be a solution for heavier hatches on larger boats.

Does anyone know how to determine the correct gas strut for the task (any task.) As I see it, you've got to consider: weight to be lifted, hinge/throw details, mounting hardware issues and probably some other variables. Can you just give this info to a genius at the gas strut place and get their recommendation?

717 wrote;
"One idea, you could recut the hatches smaller which will make them lighter having half the weight and less bulky so then easier to lift and put out of the way. So instead of 2 have 4 hatches per side."

That's what I'm thinking of doing. Cutting my fwd engine compartment hatch into thirds. It's quite heavy. Perhaps it has lead in it.
That hatch is partially under my helmsmans seat platform. Gotta remove it to open the hatch. Underway I can sorta reach fwd from the aft hatch but it's such a reach that once I mistakenly shut off the fuel while getting underway in Prince Rupert. Got towed in. Couldn't get the air out before the CG was alongside. Embarrassing. Pulling up the center third section would be easy and so would the valve switching.

Clown One said:

Does anyone know how to determine the correct gas strut for the task (any task.) As I see it, you've got to consider: weight to be lifted, hinge/throw details, mounting hardware issues and probably some other variables. Can you just give this info to a genius at the gas strut place and get their recommendation?

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Have gas struts on all my heavy hatches. The simple answer is more is better. When the hatch is closed, the strut is almost parallel with the hatch. Simply, 10 times the force isn't going to make it pop up. When open, they travel to their stop as the hatch has little resistance when near vertical.





Ted

Have three removable lift-out hatches over the engine compartment. This old guy can handle them readily. The smallest is the one most used, about 2.5-foot square, with the largest about 2.5 by 3-foot. They have a tight fit and are about four inches thick at the perimeters, so need to pull them straight up and level.

O C Diver said:

Make sure there is a workable plan B for when plan A fails, and it eventually will.

Ted

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Always a back up plan. Unlike the time I got a call at the office that my mother had a doctor's appointment to go to but was locked inside the house, so to speak. Car in garage, electric garage door, and power outage. Yes, there was a manual option. Only thing was a 65 year old woman couldn't lift a 20' wide garage door. So Plan B was for me to run to her house and open it.

Thanks for input. It was fun and educational. I can lift and move the hatches it's very awkward-can't imagine doing it in rolly conditions. I'm going to look into gas struts. Thanks!

Well, I'm just starting to design (or should I say redesign) my hatches. Make the 2 two piece hatches on each side of the engine smaller and 1 piece. Hoping to make them lighter then hinge them and add gas shocks. Add a small hatch in the large hatch over the engine so I can check oil and water level. Then I can get rid of the carpeting.