Direction of Hatch Openings (R-27)

[Barry Cohen]

Aside from the V-berth hatch, the hatches on the R-27 open side to side and not front to back.

Was there any particular rationale for this?

 

[Spirit of Gratitude]

Many of us have changed the direction of our hatches. On my 29 I turned my two forward ones above the helm to open forward. I like this because it allows a nice breeze to come in while underway or if we are at anchor the boat will always swing into the wind and allow for that breeze still.
To change them you just pull the screws from the top and turn it the way you want and then refasten the hatch.
You can see how ours look in the pic below.

Stuart R-29 Spirit of Gratitude

 

[RProffer]

I had read previous threads where people had done that. I wanted it done on my R21 when it was delivered, only to find out the upper hatches are rectangular and therefore cannot be turned 90 degrees. From the brochure for the R27, it appears the forward hatches are square and the rear hatches are rectangular. You should be able to rotate the forward hatches 90 degrees easily by just removing the screws. The hatches do not have a sealant.