Questions for spetre owners

[Bushwacker]

ab1111 - it'd probably work pretty well - same basic idea as I had, only you're saying to apply the silicone to the deck opening, which would provide more surface area to stick to than the hatch. However instead of your wood sticks, why not just coat the bottom and sides of tank hatch lip with some paraffin-type wax like Strick uses for his molds. Then your silicone "gasket" is literally molded to the tank hatch!

One caution about thickness of the silicone "coating" - something I learned from 35 years in the aerospace business is that bond strength of any coating is inversely proportional the thickness. In other words, the thinner that silicone "gasket" is, the better it will stick and the more durable it'll be!

[jongolds]

This may be silly but has anyone ever thought of using the same type of gaskets you see on refrigerator doors or some other sort of magnetic gasket. I'm not sure how you'd actually do it but it seems like one of the tightest seals you see for a frequently opened door is on your refrigerator so why not. If you figure out the details be sure to let us know how though.

[abl1111]

Might have to try it this Spring. One area that concerns me w/ this application is the hinged side; that edge will not 'come down' onto the dried silicone seal so much as it will 'sweep' into the silicone to close.

As for using a pc of wood as a 'flattener' vs using the hatch itself - there seeme to be pros and cons to each.
- Using the hatch itself, I think there'd be a lot of extra ooze of silicone around the seal ( I can't make out if this would give either a better seal, or be a dirt collector )

I don't think any of the gasket/silicone fixes are perfect because a lot of crud and especially sand would get into the space between the hatch and the deck ( as it does now )and eventually the silicone seal area and over time, as you walk on the hatch, it will slowly but surely dig through the silicone seal...

[htillman]

The refrig seal is a good idea, the major obstacle would be the metal to attact the magnet, most non-corrosive metals are not attracted to magnets. Ones that are usually include rust. I will work on this with my guys that build sound enclosures to see it they have anything.

[riptide]

I would stay away from silicone for sealing hatches.It just doesnt hold up.I have used Life caulk with good results.It can be sanded and painted when it cures and last a long time.

[jongolds]

Another option would be to use some other sort of gasket or waterproof weather stripping and then secure the hatch with hardware that provides some degree of compression to ensure a good seal. I'm picturing something like the quick release cam locks on a bicycle's wheels. Seems like the fiberglass work to recess something like that would suck though and it would still be a place for dirt to collect.