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Message 4 of 4
Posted by member Clive ffitch on Monday 7 September 2020
Hi Martin,
I can't recall for certain, but pretty sure it was a standard 125mm/5" inspection hatch - enough to get your hand and arm carefully in to access all the bolts/nuts and use a spanner to tighten them. I don't think it was a 4" one.
Certainly gave me all the access I needed. As long as you don't mind the odd bodily contortion on your hands and knees!
A bit of carpet over the top, and you'd never know the hatch was there!
Hope helps,
Clive
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Message 3 of 4
Posted by member Regent on Saturday 29 August 2020
Dear Clive,
Many thanks for your helpful comments.
I spoke with Simon Papendick about this. From the picture, he believes the toilet was factory fitted. He informed me that they were fitted with coach screws that work loose over the years. To fix the problem, he suggested cutting a 6" inspection hatch to gain access to the underside of the plywood and then replace the coach screws with short bolts with penny washers and nyloc nuts. He suggested an alternative would be to use Sikaflex to fix a plinth and then fix the toilet to that. I don't like the idea of bonding a plinth to the deck.
In short, I think the best approach is to cut an inspection hatch (as you have done) and try fixing as Simon has suggested. This would mean we have the option to fix a plinth in the manner you have done should we also require a more uplifting experience.
Looking at your installation, my question is whether or not you found it possible to reach all the area underneath from the location of your inspection hatch? I ask this because the height underneath presumably diminishes as you move towards the hull. I don't want to put the hatch in the wrong place and find I don't have enough room to play with the bolts!!
Many thanks again & kind regards,
Martin.
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Message 2 of 4
Posted by member Clive ffitch on Friday 28 August 2020
Hi Martin,
Just a heads up on this... (sorry. Really sorry about that...), but a few thoughts - the toilet unit must clearly be held down somehow, unless the bolts never actually had nuts on, and were screwed directly into the fibreglass moulding/ply substrate, which I find hard to believe, so access must be possible somewhere.
If the Pilot SE is anything like the "standard" Pilot, then the bulkhead immediately below the inner side of the heads compartment is solid, and in your case, any access must be as you suggest, behind the helm bulkhead. This must unfortunately be the best route of access, unless you create or discover another. On our Pilot, our heads compartment had a sealed ply floor that was covered by carpet, but no moulding. We chose to fit a sea toilet ourselves, and the only way was to fit a small "hatch" in the floor/deck through which we could access the underside of the fixing bolts. If all else fails, this may provide a solution for you. The only other way - a bit of a bodge - would be to epoxy the bolts in, to give them a "thread" in the substrate.
Our solution is illustrated on our webpage for Adele here if it is of any help to you...
http://www.photofilecornwall.co.uk/cornwall-xfiles/hardy-family-pilot-adele-mods.htm
I'm feeling flushed with success now... (sorry, sorry, sorry! Must be lockdown fever...). Anyways, hope you find a solution. It's a heady problem... aarrrghhh!!!!
Clive
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Message 1 of 4
Posted by member Regent on Sunday 23 August 2020
Dear All,
Our Hardy Pilot SE Hull No. 3035 Year 1996 has a sea toilet fitted (see picture). Whilst we have many original documents for the boat, it is unclear whether the toilet was factory fitted or not. Our problem is that the toilet is not secure as none of the 4 securing bolts are holding the toilet to the deck. It can be lifted straight up with alarming ease: none of the bolts are secured to the deck and certainly do not have nuts on the ends. Does anyone know how these were fitted and whether or not there is access under the deck moulding? The latter appears to be one original moulded piece and the only possible point of access (if there is one) appears to be behind the helm bulkhead (right of picture behind toilet). I have not yet attempted to remove the latter to try and find out and thought better to ask first!
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Kind regards,
Martin Backhouse.
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