David Tyler wrote:

Annie, you might have a look at Freeman Marine model 3150. They appear to make very serious hatches for very serious boats. I see cast dogs, not cheap plastic ones, that are going through the frame, not the acrylic.

Of course, the prices are probably in line with the build quality ...

Maxwell are also now owned by Vetus.

My most recent attempts at getting stuff from USA has been an exercise in frustration: they really don't seem interested in dealing with someone as far away as NZ.  I've contacted the NZ supplier, who only sell hatches for commercial vessels, but with freight and duty added to the no doubt eye-watering cost of the hatch, I expect I'll probably have to settle for second best.  You can't bum round all your life and end up independently wealthy!

Annie, you might have a look at Freeman Marine model 3150. They appear to make very serious hatches for very serious boats. I see cast dogs, not cheap plastic ones, that are going through the frame, not the acrylic.

Of course, the prices are probably in line with the build quality ...

Paul Thompson wrote:

I could probably get you another Cule hatch if you want. I'd not touch any of the Vetus hatches with a barge pole. Same for Maxwell.

I'm reliably informed that Cule are now owned by Vetus!  I have to say that the friction arm on the Cule I had on Fantail failed after three months.  :-(

OK, ladies and gentlemen, I'm about to open a BIG can of worms.  I can buy a Gebo or a Vetus hatch for over my bunk for around NZ$550/£300/US$400.  Knowing how slow I am at making things, and how important it is for me to have a hatch that doesn't leak, I've decided to go for one of these.  I know lots of people will have opinions about this matter and I am prepared to listen to all of them.  The new Vetus seems better than the ones I saw about 5 years ago and I think they look better than the Gebo, but I can't find any comparisons on the Internet.  So I'm coming here.

However, alloy hatch manufacturers go bust, get bought out and taken over with monotonous regularity.  The big boys buy out the small companies.  So it's no use discussing the hatch that you bought ten years ago - the one they're making now will be quite different and possibly quite a different quality.

I am aware that these hatches will leak if they are not mounted perfectly, but mine will be set on an epoxy plinth using the hatch for a pattern.  I think that putting the handles through the acrylic is madness and asking for leaks along the way, but that's how they all do them now, as far as I can see.

So opinions, please, on these - and for that matter other comparably-priced hatches.

Does anyone have a cast Canpa or Goiot hatch in their store that they want to get rid of?