Opening the hatch more than the actuator will permit - what not to do
MDboater
Member Posts: 298 ✭✭✭
Recent threads on increasing actuator travel/hatch opening has prompted me to post a story on a near injury. I bought my 2003 270FV at the end of the 2014 season. When the previous owner was showing me the boat I commented that the actuator did not raise the hatch very much and working in there would be difficult. The previous owner then showed me how to disconnect the actuator and completely open the hatch by pivoting it back toward the stern. The hatch seemed to have a natural resting position there. Over the course of the following year I disconnected the actuator to open the hatch wide while working on items in the engine compartment a couple of times. It was a little awkward reconnecting the actuator by myself but I never really thought much of disconnecting it. So it came naturally that last fall after the boat was blocked, that I would disconnect the hatch actuator and open it wide while winterizing. It was a breezy fall day and as luck would have it, I didn't stay in the engine compartment very long. As I was getting tools I heard a loud bang (as did several others working in the yard who came to check). It took a surprisingly small amount of wind to swing the hatch closed. This could have been a serious injury or worse if someone was in the engine compartment when this happened. So never disconnect the actuator and leave the hatch unattended. Please don't make the same mistake that I did.
Comments
On the 370, especially with gear in the transom locker, the engine hatch is extremely heavy. I don't even want to think about what would happen if it fell on someone.
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