Boat Building Forum

Find advice on all aspects of building your own kayak, canoe or any lightweight boats

Re: Flush Deck Hatch
By:Larry C.
Date: 3/17/1999, 6:13 pm
In Response To: Flush Deck Hatch (Lew Crenshaw)

> I'm at the point where I can cut through this pretty fiberglassed deck to
> install a hatch. Let me be the frst the admit that this scares me. Does
> anyone have any advice on cutting the hatch? What's the preferred method
> to cut the hatch out--jigsaw, skill saw (that's what I have), razor saw,
> etc. . .? Any help or advice (and lots of encouragement) is greatly
> appreciated. Lew

Lew, everyone else here is a lot braver than I am. My cutouts are my hatches and I could not bring myself to put a jigsaw on my deck! even though I have use of a professional $250 model. I taped the area with masking tape to minimize chipping of the glass-epoxy. I cut through the cutout line with a new blade on my utility knife. It cut like butter with a steady push. I then inserted a Bosch #T101AC jig saw Blade held in a Bosch#0 603 999 007-720 pocket saw. This is a hand tool that holds jig saw blades as well as recip saw blades for use by hand.The blade is hollow ground with little set in the teeth and cuts smoother than any blade I have ever used. The freehand cutting is the absoulute safest method to get superb results!!! I was able to follow the line perfectly and stop and restart without any screw-ups. This method is slower for sure but I whole lot safer.

Larry C.

Messages In This Thread

Flush Deck Hatch
Lew Crenshaw -- 3/17/1999, 12:43 pm
One option is not to cut.
JC -- 3/17/1999, 8:33 pm
Re: Flush Deck Hatch
Larry C. -- 3/17/1999, 6:13 pm
Re: Flush Deck Hatch
Preston Seu -- 3/18/1999, 12:12 pm
Re: Flush Deck Hatch
Shawn Baker -- 3/17/1999, 11:08 pm
Re: Flush Deck Hatch
Ross Leidy -- 3/17/1999, 5:38 pm
Re: Flush Deck Hatch
Robert Woodard -- 3/17/1999, 4:52 pm
Re: Flush Deck Hatch
Ed Kuczmarski -- 3/17/1999, 2:55 pm
Re: Flush Deck Hatch
Gary Toffelmire -- 3/17/1999, 11:12 pm
Re: Blade Wobble
Nick Schade - Guillemot Kayaks -- 3/17/1999, 5:34 pm
Re: Flush Deck Hatch
Will Brockman -- 3/17/1999, 5:18 pm
Re: Flush Deck Hatch
Paul Jacobson -- 3/17/1999, 5:44 pm
Re: Flush Deck Hatch
jim -- 3/17/1999, 1:05 pm