Testimonials

I had Select do my forward hatch last year and I'm very happy with the results. I don't remember exactly what I paid. Shipped them the hatch cover, removed from the frame and about 2 weeks later had it returned. Smoked gray lens looks nicer than the blue original one. One thing they noted to me is that if a totally new hatch is being considered, the holes Through the coach roof will most likely not align, which of course means filling the old holes and creating new ones. That's what convinced me to do the lens replacement only. Bottom line, I'd recommend then.

Ed
Salem, MA


For all those interested in repair/replacement of the Lewmar hatches. I have just had the cover of the forward hatch of my T 33 rebuilt by Select Plastics in East Norwalk CT. They did a remarkable job replacing the cracked and crazed acrylic welding a small crack in the frame and installing a new gasket. The cover looks as good as new and their service was quick (2 week turnaround) and courteous. The cost of the repair is not inexpensive but is cheaper and a lot less work than buying and installing a new hatch.

Paul


Several months ago the 25 year-old hatch on my Cal sailboat developed a leak through the sealant between the aluminum frame and the acrylic. After an unsuccessful attempt to patchthe sealant, I questioned all of my acquaintances and contacted various facilities, including Fisheries Supply and Doc Freeman. The best that I could do was find where I could have a new piece of acrylic cut, but there was little agreement as to what material should best be used as the sealant. Without knowing the name of the make of the hatch, I telephoned the service department of several hatch manufacturers and hit the jackpot with Lewmar. Although they told me that it could not be their product, as they did not make hatches in 1977, they did supply the name of a hatch repair shop. I telephoned Tony at (203) 866-3767 then tapped out the hinge pins and shipped the hatch to him at: Select Plastics, 219 Liberty Square, East Norwalk, CT 06855, info@selectplastics.com The hatch was returned as promised, looks as good as new and leaks no more! Several friends have asked me how I solved the problem and it occurred to me that your readers just might be interested in learning where a hatch can be restored.

Frank
Bellingham, WA


Contact Tony at Select Plastics in Conn. 203-866-3767. They make replacement inserts for anything Lewmar and more. I had them refurbish one of my deck hatches, nice job. Great service, reasonable pricing and very helpful on the phone. Feel free to tell them Tim in Portsmouth, NH recommended them!

Tim
Portsmouth, NH


If the hatch type you have is not the DIY type replacement then Select Plastics is a name I got from Lewmar for doing this. I contacted them and they seemed like they would be good to work with. The have the whole works including the baking ovens required to complete a like new repair and lens replacement. Check the link below and that will put you in touch with them.

Dave
Oriental, NC


If you haven’t found someone to replace your hatch glass I’d like to recommend a place in Norwalk, CT. We just had 3 Lewmar Ocean hatches done for our Moody 346 and they did a beautiful job. They do a lot of them and are Lewmar certified. I’m sure they do other brands also. The place is called Select Plastics, 219 Liberty Sq. Norwalk, CT. (203) 866-3767. Ask for Tony and tell him Ken and Cheryl recommended him to you. Great to do business with. Good luck.

Ken


In any event, I tried several local plastics suppliers and they did not have the raw material in stock. I got my acrylic from Select Plastics in Norwalk, CT. http://www.selectplastics.com Shipped old windows to them. Had new ones returned within 2 weeks. They are they authorized repair center for Lewmar hatches and do all manner of marine window / hatch etc repairs and are a wealth of knowledge and are very easy to work with.

John
Noank, CT


Mine were flush mounted and had to be removed by cutting the bond on the inside first with a putty knife. It was an older installation and the bedding had gone hard. When the lens came out, the starboard was in two pieces and the port in three. It also made a mess of the outside of the cabin top when it came out. The pieces were dropped off at Select Plastics in Norwalk Conn (Shameless plug for the guys who have done all the lenses in my Lewmar Ocean hatches) and they had new ones cut in a week out of smoked Acrylic. They were re-bedded with Dow Corning 795 black construction adhesive. This is a slow set bedding and needed to be clamped for a week. If anyone needs to replace a lens in a Lewmar hatch you should contact the remarkably helpful people at Select Plastics in Norwalk, CT 203-866-3767 they have done great work in replacing hatch lenses for us.

Jonathan
NJ


Shipping
Each hatch cover should be individually wrapped in bubble pack and surrounded with cardboard sheets and shipping popcorn. Select the shipping box size so that nothing moves around in shipping. BTW, hatches are heavy and UPS 3-day from NorCal to CT would have been $135; I opted for five-day ground for less than $40. It’s a good idea to call Select Plastics, in advance, to let them know the hatches are coming and to check production schedules.
Rebuild Estimate
Once Select receives the hatches, they inspect them and prepare an estimate. The estimate can be sent via fax or e-mail. All you have to do is approve the estimate, arrange for payment and let them do the rest. In my case, it took three weeks to get the three hatches back (off season).
Reinstalling
What a shock. I opened the box to discover three brand-new looking hatches. It’s always nice to be pleasantly surprised when you have someone else do work on/for your boat.
copied and pasted from Rebuilding Lewmar hatches

Chris C


Last winter I removed two deck hatches off my 15-year-old Beneteau 285 sloop. The Plexiglas was crazed. They looked old and awful. I sent the hatches to Select Plastics (aka Hatchmasters) in Norwalk, Conn. The glazing was replaced into my original frames and came back looking better/stronger than I can recall seeing it when the boat was actually brand new. I also received two new hinge kits. In the process of reinstalling the hatches I did a pretty bad job and ruined the hinge parts. I called Select Plastics out of frustration and talked with owner Tony D'Andrea. He patiently talked me through proper installation of the hatches along with sending me a replacement hinge kit. Let it be said that Hatchmasters win the customer service Purple Heart award. They were patient, courteous, and generous. Also note the quality of their materials was obvious. They are a credit to the boating industry and deserve recognition for the way they do business and for the quality of their work

Paul B
Philadelphia, PA taken from Practical Sailor November 2006