hatch thought

[Forrest747]

I am working on the rear hatch and to be honest I am not happy with it. Even with it open I have to duck and positioning the support struts has me flumouxed. I see a lot of the struts on the inside but not too many that hold it up from the outside

One thought I am having is what if I make it so I can remove it all together once at camp and turn it into a table with some folded legs or attaching to the side.

Am I just asking for trouble

[absolutsnwbrdr]

I'm still trying to figure out where/how to mount my gas struts. A piece of wood works great for now.

FWIW, here's a good thread about sizing and positioning struts.

viewtopic.php?p=350386#350386


Making your hatch removable and converting it into a table is an interesting thought. Maybe a hatch hinge like this could make your idea work? They arent cheap, but they are stainless steel.

http://marinepartdepot.com/new316ststhe.html

[Forrest747]

Here is the rear hatch. put down a fresh coat of aeromarine and rounded and flushed the edges. the hinges i used are jeep hood hinges. leaves a huge gap which i will cover with fabric.

[Lancie49]

Don't those marine hinges look great.

I can see a few applications for those but I'm not sure about using them on a tailgate/hatch of a TD.
My prime concern would be making them secure, and yet being able to quickly remove the pin to lift the hatch free.
I want to be able to remove the hatch, but don't want anybody else doing it.

[Evan Gaffney]

Why not put two eye hooks into the roof and two into the hatch then make two poles of fixed length with caribiner-like ends? Should hold your lid up at any angle you decide on and stop it from blowing/falling in either direction. You could even put some "upside down" cabinets onto the inside face of your hatch.

Something like this: