Removing hatches

[Bruceo1]

I need to remove and rebed several of the aluminum (Bomar) hatches on my boat. Can anyone give me suggestions for the best way to remove them without damaging them. I''m concerned that if I use too much force, they may be damaged. Efforts to force them up from below using a hammer and wooden block to cushion the blows were not successful. I also didn''t have much luck prying them up using a large screw driver.

Thanks

Bruce

[RichH]

Most times such hatches are simply held in place with old caulk, usually silicone. To aid in removal, get some ''piano'' wire and make a ''garotte'' - long length of wire held bewteen two sticks. Attempt to slip the wire under the exposed lip and ''see-saw'' back and forth with the garotte to cut the caulking.