New Cabrera Deck/Engine Hatches

[conchy joe]

Anyone know the ballpark figure of what these cost? Any cons to their product?

Thanks

[JimmyG]

I just installed them https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qZMl2kT4dlU A little pricey, have to trim to fit in some areas but looks great

[mike ohlstein]

Next time I need to build a house in three days, I'm getting Jimmy and Keith together on the job. Probably only take two days, but hey….

[Kevin]

I have been eyeballing the cockpit in my boat wondering what the hell to do with it. All that space between the exhaust and the fuel tank. What a waste. I am sure I could build or modify what I have but after about the 100th hour of labor I would be wishing I had not started the project.
Does anyone even make aftermarket decks for the 28?

[Yannis]

I have put 2 X 100 liters of water in there. In bladders. You can add a Jacuzzi too !

[Mikey]

Jimmy,
That sure brought back the pain. Did all of that except the side panels which Cabrera didn't offer then. One question if you have launched. At low idle the Cummins vibrate enough to make the hatches dance, quite an annoying noise. Have thought of several ways to prevent the dancing: foam cushioning in the trough but that would impede the water from getting to the drain; lockdowns, but that would spoil the clean look; baptize them Baptist and tell them that its sacrilegious to dance. Have any thoughts? Anyone who has installed Cabrera's decks and has dancing diesels?

[Michael]

Mikey,
I removed the hatch pulls and installed adjustable twist lock pulls. For the other end I fabricated an adjustable aluminum catch that hooks under the lip. Made it adjustable so I could ensure a tight fit with no rattle.
Other option is to buy a bigger stereo...

[Tony Meola]

Mikey

Add some weight to them. Flatten out some lead and epoxy it to the bottom of the hatch.

[Bill Fuller]

Kevin, Yannis

When I purchased by 28 back in 1990 it had auxiliary fuel tanks under the deck in that area. Each one held between 42 and 45 gallons. When I had the gas motors (350 Chevy's) I was into those tanks almost every weekend (long runs south out of San Diego). Since I repowered in 2000 I have only used the fuel in those tanks once, and on that occasion it was only to insure that I did not run dry. So, after 14 years, and with my deck needing some attention, I am currently in the process of re-coring and reconfiguring the deck. The auxiliary fuel tanks have been removed and will be replaced with fish boxes. This means completely altering the hatch arrangement. There will be one large hatch on each side that will be about 63 inches long by 19 inches wide. And a single hatch at the stern with the same dimensions as the old hatch. I will be posting another thread as soon as I finish this asking Capt. Pat for his opinion on a couple of things. More info will be provided there.

As a side, If any of the B28 owners are interested, I will have a pair of really nice stainless steel auxiliary fuel tanks for sale in the near future. A total capacity of close to 90 gallons.

Bill

[Pete Fallon]

Troy,
Capt. Pat has a easy way of putting in guttered deck hatches, he uses lengths of 3/4" PVC pipe cut in half then glassed into the underside of the decks with hoses that go to a central collection site then get pumped overboard or into the bilge then pumped out. See his post in the building tips section on this site.
About the deck hatches bouncing around, use a positive latch hatch closer and add a couple of strips of rubber to cushion the hatches or add a piece of bungee cord to a small pad eye screwed on the bottom of the hatch, a pad eye in the center with enough slack so that you can unhook the ends from 2 more small pad eyes screwed into the deck supports so it is tight enough to keep the hatch from rattling. The arrangement looks like a upside down V for the bungee cord, with a knot in the middle to keep it from sliding from side to side. Three small stainless steel pad eyes and length of bungee cord or a black rubber tie down with the hooks already in the ends, screw it into the underside of the hatch with a big fender washer and a 1/2" or 3/4" # 10 screw and 2 small pad eyes.
Pete Fallon

[Yannis]

Thank you Bill.

[Rawleigh]

Mikey: Bungee cord from a loop epoxied to the bottom of the locker to a loop epoxied to the bottom of the hatch with enough tension to stop the dance. You can lift the hatch up and slide it back to reach in against the resistance of the cord. Unhook if you want to remove it completely.

[John F.]

I have Cabrera's price list for B31 parts that they sent me last summer if anybody needs a year old parts price. I emailed them, and sent me the list within a day or so.

[Mikey]

Michael,
Hatch pulls? Cabrera ain't got no stinkin' hatch pulls, unless they have added them since mine. Love to see pictures.

[Michael]

Mikey,
The pulls I installed I think are made by Seadog or at least very similar to them. see link below.

http://www.sea-dog.com/groups/2122-hatch-handle-latch

[JimmyG]

Jimmy,
That sure brought back the pain. Did all of that except the side panels which Cabrera didn't offer then. One question if you have launched. At low idle the Cummins vibrate enough to make the hatches dance, quite an annoying noise. Have thought of several ways to prevent the dancing: foam cushioning in the trough but that would impede the water from getting to the drain; lockdowns, but that would spoil the clean look; baptize them Baptist and tell them that its sacrilegious to dance. Have any thoughts? Anyone who has installed Cabrera's decks and has dancing diesels?

Not yet Mike hopefully ordering the engines this week but i'm a few months away yet

[Mikey]

Jimmy,
Good luck on the install. Was told it would be the hardest job of the whole do-it-yourself restoration and yet it was one of the easiest. Just hauled out the check book.

[ZeroCavity]

Cabrera products are the BEST !!!

[PeterPalmieri]

I did see on cabreras FB page they built a mold for the windshield insert. Anyone no any more info?