Yacht Services specializes in the repair of Hood Yacht Systems stainless steel hatches. These hatches are made of 18-8 polished stainless steel. In this stainless steel frame, acrylic plastic is floated in a specialized structural adhesive. The adhesive, when cured, provides a seal and a structural bond between two very difficult bonding materials. Absolute cleanliness must be observed and the materials must be properly prepared before the acylic can be bonded to the stainless steel. The adhesive bonding material is a specialized industrial product and is not available for purchase by consumers.
At Yacht Services, we will take your hatches, refloat and rebuild the hatches and return ship them to you. Turn around time is approximately 3 to 4 weeks from receipt of the hatch. In addition to refloating the glass, we can replace and upgrade the hatch dogs, o-rings, gaskets and other hardware that may need replacing.
Please note that the bonding process between the stainless steel and the smoked acrylic is an adhesive as well as a structural bond. Do not use Windex or other glass cleaners on these hatches. If a hatch cannot be easily cleaned with joy and water, try laying a watersoaked towel on the plexiglass for a half hour. This might loosen any serious contaminates. Then, use only mild soap and water to carefully clean the hatches. Once they start leaking, they must be returned for refloating. You cannot seal these hatches with temporary sealents. Your best bet for a temporary fix is 3M weatherproof tape. Duct tape leaves a terrible mess and will require extra labor to remove the tape residue.
Tip! We only need the top portion of the hatch, leave the deck ring secured to the vessel. Mark each hatch so the correct cover can be placed back on the correct deck ring, as the hatches are hand made and should not be mixed with the wrong deck ring. You might also purchase some plexiglass and cut out a piece to match the outside diameter of the hatch cover you are sending in for repair. This plexiglass cover can be secured as a temporary hatch cover without destroying the appearance of your vessel while your hatch is being repaired. Don't let your hatches leak, they will destroy the interior of your vessel.
To service your hatches, please call or email us at the numbers or links below.