Harris Hickman was kind enough to share his
experiences in making a hatch cover for his 1977 C-26 "Carpe Diem". While the
writeup and photos demonstrate the process for a C-26, owners of the other
Chrysler cruising boats (C-20 & C-22) can use this process as well to protect
the entryway hatch and instruments.
Make a cover for the rear hatch for about $12.50.
Stop off at your local sail makers shop and purchase some "scrap"
Sunbrella material (I got mine for $6). Obtain enough material to cover the
rear hatch area with some overlap. You can sew several pieces together or
purchase just one piece. About 50" x 40" should do. They will want to sell
you a running yard but scraps should do. The actual hatch size is 36" x 29"
with a "V" taper. I wanted to cover my teak handles on both sides of the
hatch along with the compass and my fish finder/depth meter mount below.
Don't forget to pick up some thread with the UV protection. Don't buy a
big spool, just get some free samples. You will need some type of side
trimming and have some left over strapping. West Marine sells the stuff.
Next you need some snaps for the cover (as many as you want) and some
screw-in-snap-bases for the area around the hatch (short screws). Be sure
to get a "tool" for pressing the snap to the material. A tool usually comes
with the snaps if you get them as a set.
About that sewing machine...I bought one for $10 at a Christian second-hand
store. Had it tuned up for $40 so it would sew the thickest sumbrella
material possible. It is a household machine but does a great job. I even
touched up some of my sail with it. I use a leather needle, and yes, I do
go through several.
Take a look at the four pictures below and you can see that it is very
easy to make a cover to keep the sun and direct rain away. What about that
price for a hatch cover! In the Florida sun we really need to cover any
wood.
Happy Sewing!!!
Here are the photos:
Many thanks to Harris Hickman for taking the time
to write this "how to" tutorial and take these photos! Harris sails "Carpe
Diem" on the Intracoastal Waterway in Florida. If you would like to ask him
any questions about this process, send an e-mail message to
hhickman@brevard.net.
What I wanted to cover.
My pattern to cut out.
Finished cover.
Looking good in the sun!!