Galley hatch stiffener

[RowingBoatmanSteve]

Many builders have found that it is useful to add a stiffener across the inside of the hatch lid during construction. This adds stability to the curved form of the lid and assists with keeping the rubber seals in contact for weather proofing…

[RowingBoatmanSteve]

The added bonus is that it acts as a grab handle when closing the lid of the galley. I gave a nod to the shape of the teardrop when cutting the holes in the ply…

[RowingBoatmanSteve]

I matched the profile of the stiffener while the camper was still in the building form…

[RowingBoatmanSteve]

Care was taken to ensure the new addition wouldn’t clash with the galley bench top or its planned contents (stove etc)…

[RowingBoatmanSteve]

I chose to add a layer of fiberglass to the inside of the galley hatch also – this helps with adding stiffness to the hatch, and was done prior to bonding the additional stiffener/grab handle…

 

[RowingBoatmanSteve]

The stiffener was epoxied to the lid at the “green” stage of the cloth /epoxy cure. A fillet was added to either side of the extra stiffener…

[RowingBoatmanSteve]

The bonus to adding an extra lateral stiffener to the galley hatch is that it conceals any lighting you might choose to fit later. This photo is taken from inside the galley looking aft.

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