What Do You Use For Hatch Supports??

[doug hodder]

I've done poles/sticks on 4 builds. The originals had them....I used a poly strap with a buckle to keep it from lifting in the wind, but never really had it tested. Mine have no hinges on the sticks, just a dowel on the upper end to plug into the hatch . Not as convenient as a gas shock I guess, but it never fails and is much cheaper than a shock, plus, I can build out the cabinets and don't have to allow area for the gas shock mount. 2 sticks are whole lot cheaper and less hassle for install than gas shocks.

Gas shocked hatches are nice, but for me, wasn't worth the hassle or price. Done incorrectly, they can bow the hatch, and as Rocky mentioned...they can fail and you end up with sticks anyway, or replace them.

As I recall, even Camp Inn, who manufactures the "Rolls Royce" of manufactured teardrops don't use a gas charged shock. They have their own locking system made from ply. Doug

[Alleged User]

We use sticks, but to be fair, our hatch is quite heavy. Tried the struts, and they failed. Twice. Just glad no one was under the hatch when it happened. I'm sure they work great for lighter hatches, but no more struts for us. Two hatch rebuilds for my poor brother was enough.

We are hatching an idea that would employ removeable iron pipe fittings. We used it on our kitchen island as brackets to support the countertop overhang, and we love the way it looks...old and industrial, and obviously sturdy.

[Maureenm]

I just have a couple of steel rods,like using nice, simple sticks. They fit into a small notch in my countertop. I have thought about upgrading to something fancier but decided against it because my current setup allows me to adjust the height of the opening. Haven't had to deal with a lot of wind so far, so not sure how that would affect it all.
Maureen

[Oldragbaggers]

I'm leaning toward the sticks myself with some sort of line/cleat arrangement to hold the hatch down in the wind. The dowel in the end seems like a good idea because it had occurred to me that it might be easy to bump it and knock it out of place otherwise.

Thanks for all the input.

[aggie79]

My hatch is six-foot long (lenght along the profile) and five-foot wide. Manual lifting of the hatch was out of the question, so I used gas struts.



There are two geometries that you can use on the struts. The way I did it, as others showed me how, was to place the lower sidewall strut mount closer to the hatch hinge and locating the upper hatch mounting strut farther away from the hinge. This way, in the closed position, the strut helps keep the hatch closed rather than, as in the reverse geometry, pushing up against the hatch causing it to spring. The disadvantage in using the geometry I did is that it takes a longer stut and that strut can interfere with the upper galley cabinets.



The struts have been in place for 2 years and I've never had a problem with them not holding the hatch up.

[WhitneyK]

I used the props from an old camper shell I salvaged. It's the kind you lift up and they "catch", then lift to release and lower.

[CliffinGA]

You know I've been thinking about this lately and though mu hatch isn't to heavy. I know we'll need some supports and as I was cleaning out the garage I noticed a canopy that had caught the wind and went flying. I think I can repurpose the legs with the help of some brackets and make supports for the hatch. What do y'all think?

Cliff

[bigblockbarry]

I took the stick approach too sort of. I bought two 1/2 inch aluminum dowels that were 3 feet long and a pack of little rubber caps. $18 at Lowe's if I remember right. Made a small mount that screwed to the countertop,drilled holes through them and bolted them together with a couple small plastic washers for friction. Cut a small piece of 2x4 ,rounded it up and drilled a hole in it to screw to the hatch.

When not in use they will,hopefully, keep whatever small stuff on the countertop from sliding off.We'll see if it works soon I hope.

I still need to figure out a way to keep the wind from getting too frisky but shouldn't be too bad.

Barry

[GaryDierking]

I just installed my gas-less hatch supports made from an old adjustable windsurfing boom. Hardened aluminum tubes that slide inside each other have a stainless spring loaded button that you push to release the hatch.
http://teardropbygary.blogspot.co.nz/2012/07/hatch-on.html

[asianflava]

I took the stick approach too sort of. I bought two 1/2 inch aluminum dowels that were 3 feet long and a pack of little rubber caps. $18 at Lowe's if I remember right. Made a small mount that screwed to the countertop,drilled holes through them and bolted them together with a couple small plastic washers for friction. Cut a small piece of 2x4 ,rounded it up and drilled a hole in it to screw to the hatch.


Barry

You should find a way to secure the top of the prop to the hatch. Not naming any names, but the wind has been known to catch an open hatch and blow it back.

[ssrjim]

I use a foldup table leg. Works great, light, easy to use.

[rowerwet]

using a caster wheel with the wheel removed and a broom handle being thrown out at work, I plan on wood dowels in the future as I love wood, but the metal worked. I planned on a caster at the bottom end but will be using the folding doorstep idea instead. I would lower the hatch at night but needed to keep it open some for airflow to the air conditioner, thanks to the flexibility of the caster base I could pull the rods back slightly and set the bottom of the poles on the ground leaving a large enough gap at the bottom of the hatch, but protecting the galley from rain.
prop rods folded for travel
the axle was a bolt, so it was easy to put the rod in instead of the wheel
open for camping

[Woodbutcher]

I use these marine springs. Similar to a pole prop but nothing moves. To close you just push them slightly and let the hatch down. Got them from Frank Bear.

[bigblockbarry]

Do those bend in when shut? I have seen those on his website but I didn't want the spring part swinging around scratching everything when in transit.

[doug hodder]

Just slip some vinyl tubing over them, or make a cloth cover.