Is your boat looking a little worse for the wear? Are you hatch windows scratched and cloudy? If so, you can easily and quickly spruce up your boat’s appearance by replacing your boat hatches. But that isn’t the only reason why replacing your hatches is a good idea, specifically if your boat is on the older side or if you’re thinking of buying a used boat that has seen better days.
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Appearances Matter
If you’re a boat owner, you want your boat to look good at all times. A boat is often a status symbol, but only if it retains that sparkling appearance that it had when it was new. Hatches are exposed to wind, water, salt, dust, and debris, which can cause them to become scratched and hazy. Just like new windows can immediately make an old house look refreshed, new hatches can restore a boat to a like-new appearance. You don’t even have to replace your hatches with the same model that came with your boat. There are plenty of hatch upgrades that can really make your boat stand out.
Leaks Happen
Hatches on a boat are designed to allow occupant access to the area below deck while preventing water from getting into that same area. But over time, hatches crack or the caulking around the hatches becomes old and brittle. When this happens, a once water-tight hatch can leak and your previously dry area below deck is no longer dry. These cracks and holes can really let in a lot of water, so if you suddenly encounter high waves that crash over your boat, you could end up with a flooded boat.
You must make sure that your hatches are in good condition at all times. If you see even a single drop of water below deck that’s coming from the area around a hatch, you need to inspect it carefully to identify the culprit. If the caulking is brittle and is no longer keeping a tight seal around the hatch, you might be able to get away with re-caulking the hatch instead of replacing it. But, chances are, the hatch no longer looks great either. If you have to reseal your hatches, you might as well go ahead and replace them.
Designs Can Change
Sometimes, boat designers don’t think about things like how difficult the hatch can be to open in strong winds or that when a specific hatch is open, it gets in the way of other objects on the boat, like the sail bags or solar panels. If you’re encountering these kinds of challenges, you can change the hatches on your boat to better suit your needs. For example, if you’re struggling with opening a hatch during heavy winds, you might consider replacing your hatches with double-opening hatches, which allow you to open the hatch from either side. This way, if the wind is blowing from one direction, you can easily open the hatch away from the wind instead of fighting against it.
You can also rotate your hatches so that they open in the direction you want so they don’t block other objects on your boat. The point is, you don’t have to live with the hatch challenges you face. You can replace your hatches to your specifications and design preferences.
Conclusion
Replacing the hatches on your boat is more common than you might think. It gives boats an instant upgrade in appearance, can fix leaks, and even make the hatches themselves more accessible.
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