Bolted down weed hatch

[Pamber1106]

Hello I have a under the counter weed hatch. I think that is how you refer to it. My narrowboat build date is approx 1980s. It has two bolts on either side them coming up from the underside of the top plate into the lid is a bolt that someone has put in and tapped off with a weld. There is approx 4 inches from water level to the top of hatch. Has anyone encountered this before and does it spell impending doom. I need to clear prop of somthing wrapped around it. Many thanks for ideas, information. 

[David Mack]

I once had a weed hatch with 8 (I think) bolts that had to be unbolted to remove the lid. A right pain!

But for the last almost 30 years most of my boating has been on ex-working boats without a weed hatch. It hasn't proved to be a problem. You can get most stuff off the prop using a short shaft with a hook on the side. You just need a decent bank to work from - typically a lock or bridge entry where you can keep the boat 2-3 feet from the bank.

Edited May 24, 2021 by David Mack

[blackrose]

Could you replace the nuts with wing nuts so that at least you don't need tools to remove the weed hatch? That's assuming you could to tighten it up sufficiently by hand to prevent water ingress.j Otherwise you could just leave the correct size spanner down there so it's always to hand.

 

Alternatively if you take some measurements and can do a basic technical drawing with all the dimensions you might be able to get a quick release clamp fabricated from a length of rectangular box section steel with some tabs welded on that go under the lips on either side of the hatch. Choose a nice big thread size for your clamp like M16.

[Pamber1106]

OK good thought. Many thanks 

[Chris Lowe]

If you can't get wingnuts the correct size ask a welder to weld some on the current nuts.

[ditchcrawler]

14 minutes ago, buccaneer66 said:

If you can't get wingnuts the correct size ask a welder to weld some on the current nuts.

Something like this but longer wings