Sailing

Hatch boards: The retrofit of USA #415 Continued

Peter Fray

Feb 21, 2020 • 1 min read

I am busy getting ready for the Pacific Cup in 2020 which is only months away. In a detailed review of the PacCup PCER (Pacific cup Equipment Rules) on section says:

§ 2.2 Hatch Boards

• A boat's hatch boards, whether or not in position in the hatchway, shall be secured in a way that prevents their being lost overboard. (SER2.1.2)

• A companionway hatch shall be fitted with a strong securing arrangement which shall be operable from the exterior and interior including when the yacht is inverted. (PCYC)

I believe that the above is a passthrough from the World Sailing Rules.

I asked the RC if my hatch would be acceptable. As you can see below my hatch boards are really light and made of waterproof material. They are waterproof and can be opened from inside or outside. I used a zipper to open the environment.

The response from the RC felt that "material" meaning "fabric" does not meet the "solid" requirement above.

OK Fair enough. USA #415 gets a new hatch board!

Still light, solid, waterproof, and made of carbon fiber.

Once again the was built by the Guys at Snead Island Boat Works. They do great work. Thank you.

Thanks to Jim N. for the donation of the Carbon Fiber!

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