Lewmar Hatch Screen Review
I just received the Lewmar Hatch Screens.
First a bit of background, I have 2 Lewmar hatches on my boat. One Lewmar 60 in the forward cabin, and a Lewmar 40 in the main saloon. The trim around both of these was damaged when I bought the boat, and in general it needed replacement.
I went to a couple of boat shows, and saw the OceanAir product on display. I thought that this would be a great way to add functionality to what was essentially a cosmetic part. I grew frustrated, however, as I shopped around to get information about the OceanAir product. Quite by accident, I discovered that Lewmar makes a similar product. However the information available, and the lack of
knowledgeable sales help was discouraging.
I looked and studied for a couple of days looking into these products. My analysis before buying the product was that:
- The OceanAir product (part number SFSS-xx) has a four piece frame that must be assembled prior to installation (and is one more thing to fall apart from vibration). However, I liked that the OceanAir product had an optional customizable trim kit. That said, in my experience is that no one seems to carry, or be familiar with the trim kit. I eventually spoke with the US distributor of the product, who informed me that to order the product with the trim kit, add an "L" suffix to the part number. Thus; SFSSL. The trim appears to be a roll of PVC with an "H" shaped spacer that you insert to join the start and end of the roll. I figured that this might add $10 bucks to the price of the product, but I was way off in my guess. Ordering the product with the trim kit bumps the price up between $30-$70...
- The Lewmar Hatch Trim and Roller Shade for the same hatch have a one piece frame (good), include the trim piece, and cost a good deal less. The Lewmar products were between $40 and $70 LESS than the OceanAir product!
Unfortunately Lewmar does a pathetic job of marketing these, so coming by information on or about them was, in my experience, difficult. That is what prompted me to write this review.
Here is what is in the box;
and here is the box
;
The Roller Shade is, as I suspected, one piece - making installation easier, and less prone to vibrating apart, or making noise. Here are some closeup pix;
Open:
Shade closed:
Screen:
The trim piece is also one piece (unlike the OceanAir product), and does not require complex installation. Here is a close up of that;
There are ridges around the inside (hidden) portion of the trim piece that are used as a cutting guide to help make installation easier still!
Perhaps most importantly, here are the installation instructions that were included in the package;
Now that I have received the Lewmar Hatch Screens, I am very happy (so far).
I hope this helps!