Pontoon Boat & Deck Boat Forum

For those of you who have the center toon in floor storage with the vinyl hatch, got a question for you......

Yesterday, we had the toon out and with the direct sun and 88 degree day. I opened the center hatch to get the swim noodles out and noticed it didn't want to open easily. When I went to shut it, it was hitting the aluminum frame on one corner. It appears as though the solid vinyl hatch EXPANDED in the heat, and direct sunlight.

Has anyone else experienced this?

I couldn't shut the hatch until we got back into our covered slip and tried shutting it several hours later. If this is normal, then it's going to be an ongoing problem all summer long...... Geeze....

thoughts?

...lube it...

Had our boat for 5 seasons and have not had that problem...we do get in the 80's up here in Maine (believe it or not) for sure and still never had any issues.

Mine does the same thing. I attributed it, not to heat, but the lard ass that insisted on standing on the hatch. The rim is metal, as is the piano hinge. I now try to point out for guests to not stand on the hatch.

The hatch may bind a little when opened. To close, I push it until it all meets, then evenly give enough pressure to latch.

Nope. But I don't think that mine is vinyl. Plastic of some sort, yes.

Although we don't use it much, except for storing fishing poles while underway. But given our tendencies to have 90 - 100 degree days, I have never had an issue (yet).

No issues here in the AZ heat with 100+ temps many days all summer. However, we always have the bimini top up, too.

Thanks folks !!!

I said vinyl for the hatch, but it is some kind of plastic, not sure what. We just got back from another awesome afternoon on the boat. I got the swim noodles out of the hatch before leaving our covered boathouse and no issue. I checked it several times while anchored up swimming and relaxing and by the time we were ready to leave our spot, the hatch was again beginning to bind on one corner. It was 87 or 88 degrees and sunny. We do have the bimini top open, but the hatch was in direct sunlight basically the whole time.

I still think it's related to the heat and sun...

The manufacturer had replaced my gouged hatch and trim ring with a new one recently. I got some of the matching fake gray teak vinyl flooring from them too and glued and trimmed the teak vinyl onto the OLD hatch, and trimmed it out, since it was gouged anyways. Then I just this week, took the NEW aluminum trim ring they provided and swapped it with the old trim ring that was also gouged. While all 16 screws lined up in the piano hinge to the hatch, the new trim ring holes did NOT line up with the holes in the boat floor...... they were all off except for 1 so I had to drill 9 other holes that were about a quarter inch from the old ones. You would think they use a jig to pre drill the holes in all the trim bezels... go figure. So, I don't know if this trim ring is slightly tighter than the original one...

I'll post a pic of the new matching fake teak hatch with the rest of the floor later this evening. Gotta scoot now.

Here's the pic of the fake teak vinyl installed on the hatch:


Here's the ugly BEFORE pic with the plastic hatch ( with gouges in hatch and bezel ring).... Can't tell by the pic, but it's kind of a brownish plastic color....

Wow that looks SO much better. I really hate that they don't teak the dam hatch door. May have to try that myself at some point.

Haven't noticed a binding issue yet. Will be out this weekend 90+ so I'll check.

if the hatch is wood in the corners take a wood rasp to the corner that's hanging up, if it has a frame you can still file it down.

The aluminum frame material is extruded / punched, then bent and welded or riveted to make the frame so no two frames will have the same hole locations unless it's luck.

On a side note, do you now have an extra door? If so I might be interested in purchasing it from you for my project...

ToonGuy wrote:The aluminum frame material is extruded / punched, then bent and welded or riveted to make the frame so no two frames will have the same hole locations unless it's luck.

On a side note, do you now have an extra door? If so I might be interested in purchasing it from you for my project...

Thanks...... but I think i will hold onto this new hatch in case I find I need it over time....