Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

 I guess I am asking what is the intended purpose of this hatch aside from ventilation.

I don't know about your local regulations, but most places, a boat owner can do pretty much whatever they want to their vessel. Having said that, I feel a forward hatch that is big enough for a person to climb through could be a useful thing in the event of fire or other mishap. This means a hatch would need to be about 20" square, although the actual shape is irrelevant. Square, rectangular, circular, octagonal; whatever really!

Rectangular is easy. I think for "pleasure craft" there is no rule here about that. I do see that at least some of the boats I have seen on the site have covered their hatch in order to put a mast in the right place and certainly in other cruising circles many people think the hatch is an ideal place to stow their dinghy on top of (this allows the hatch to open enough for air without getting rain inside). However, I think you are right and I have found

https://boattest.com/view-news/6257_accommodations-escape-hatches

It says:

ABYC Standards--

• Enclosed accommodation compartments shall have a readily accessible and unobstructed means of exit and shall have a second readily accessible means of exit to the open air if the main exit leads through or over an engine space or directly past a cooking appliance.
• A round hatch used for egress should be at least 18” (45.72 cm) in diameter. Any other shape should be large enough for a 14.5-inch (36.38-cm) diameter circle to be inscribed.

This is of course probably not the actual original text... at least it would seem to say a round hatch has to be 18in in diameter but a hexagonal hatch only needs to be 14.5 inches in diameter which makes no sense.

What I get out of it is that the minimum dimension for the narrowest measurement should be 14.5 inches but the dimension at 90(ish) degrees should be at least 18 inches. I should be able to do better than that if I also move the aft end of the hatch as far aft as the bulkhead allows. Better yet, I can put foot pads up the mast so the hatch is actually useful.

This also means that some of the smaller boats that have an outboard for propulsion and do not include a stove (or use a BBQ on the back rail) do not need such a hatch. That is, this hatch is specifically for fire egress. The rules for pleasure craft in Canada do require handy fire extinguishers.

Anonymous wrote:

Most sailboats, well even my power cruiser, have some sort of hatch forward either in the head or over the V-berth. In the case of my Cal 29, it is over the head. I will be putting my free standing mast where this hatch is and so I am wondering if I need to put another hatch in somewhere to take it's place. I guess I am asking what is the intended purpose of this hatch aside from ventilation.

It seems to be person sized (21x21inches) but I can't see anyone actually using it for egress or entry unless the hull is laying on it's side as there is no ladder or really anything to stand on to get to it. I could probably manage somehow but I am not so sure my wife would be able.

Is there a general requirement for a forward hatch? or is it just something the designer/manufacture feels would prevent the boat selling if it was missing? If there is a requirement, what is the required size? Does it have to be square or can it be rectangular?

I will be putting some sort of ventilation in its place with the same forward facing opening as it works much better than mere opening ports on the side of the house.

(Hope your wife doesn’t read this!)

joking apart, getting through a forward hatch with bulky sailing jacket and life jacket is probably an issue for most.  

Anonymous wrote:

Most sailboats, well even my power cruiser, have some sort of hatch forward either in the head or over the V-berth. In the case of my Cal 29, it is over the head. I will be putting my free standing mast where this hatch is and so I am wondering if I need to put another hatch in somewhere to take it's place. I guess I am asking what is the intended purpose of this hatch aside from ventilation.

It seems to be person sized (21x21inches) but I can't see anyone actually using it for egress or entry unless the hull is laying on it's side as there is no ladder or really anything to stand on to get to it. I could probably manage somehow but I am not so sure my wife would be able.

Is there a general requirement for a forward hatch? or is it just something the designer/manufacture feels would prevent the boat selling if it was missing? If there is a requirement, what is the required size? Does it have to be square or can it be rectangular?

I will be putting some sort of ventilation in it's place with the same forward facing opening as it works much better than mere opening ports on the side of the house.