Forward Hatch Replacement

[Harborless]

Hello all, me again.

I need a new forward Hatch. While this seems a no brainer I just want to make sure I have everything right as far as directions. However, I have not had much luck in finding the run through of the procedure. I just bought Don Caseys Sailboat Maintenance Manuel and that does not really help.
Could someone direct me to the information required?
Seems to me I just unscrew the old hatch, scrape and clean all old sealent/gasket. Take out the old hinges and re-bed the new ones then just lay down the gaskets/seals for the new hatch and put it right down on top. This is just what I would think I need to do but of course I want to be sure.
As always help is greatly appreciated.

[Faster]

Fortunately there seems to be some standardization among hatch designs.. we recently replaced what appeared to be older Lewmars with Bomar and the cutouts and radiuses matched.

What you do need to decide on is a flanged style or a flat mounting style. The flanged style has a lip that inserts down into the cutout, the others mount flat on deck. Which one you want will depend on what you have and what trim requirements you will need. The flanged style with the inserting lip "hides" the inside edges and requires less or no interior trim. The flat mount style may need some cleanup, esp if you damage any original fairing during the removal process. Sometimes these frames are really 'glued down' and can be a bugger to get off. We were lucky. This is probably an area where butyl tape would do a good job, (but check with Mainesail first!! )

Measure twice, order once.. these a pricey little devils and you don't want to make a costly error. Try to get/view actual dimensional drawings before committing to your order.

FWIW I think the Lewmar Offshore hatches are the better item, but at a price premium (over $1000 for a standard 20" hatch)

[capttb]

I recently replaced a size 44 Lewmar hatch on a 2002 Catalina and the original had been bedded with butyl, made removal and cleanup incredibly easy. I'd figured 4 hours and it took me 1, old one didn't leak the lens was just crazed and I'd found a new one at Minney's for less than a replacement lens.