28TE Projects: Livewell, Hatch Lifter and Cooler Mount

[pkdiver]

Jared, I have a 2005 flush deck and had an issue with the original hatch lifters pretty much from the time that the boat was new. I eventually removed the original hatch lifters and have been lifting the hatch up manually, which was not too easy as you well know. I like what you did to replace yours and plan to do the same on my boat. I was wondering if you bought the complete kit for the hatch lifter replacement? I had talked to someone at Bennett and the individual that I talked to suggested this and said that it would be more efficient if the hatch lifters had their own hydraulic power unit rather than sharing the one with the trim tabs. The complete kit comes with all of the necessary hardware, tubes and fittings but I don't know if it includes the switch. Looking on line I found the kit for approximately $460. How difficult was the installation of the new hatch lift system?
Thanks,
Pete,
pkdiver
2005 28 TE

[Jaredh]

Jared, I have a 2005 flush deck and had an issue with the original hatch lifters pretty much from the time that the boat was new. I eventually removed the original hatch lifters and have been lifting the hatch up manually, which was not too easy as you well know. I like what you did to replace yours and plan to do the same on my boat. I was wondering if you bought the complete kit for the hatch lifter replacement? I had talked to someone at Bennett and the individual that I talked to suggested this and said that it would be more efficient if the hatch lifters had their own hydraulic power unit rather than sharing the one with the trim tabs. The complete kit comes with all of the necessary hardware, tubes and fittings but I don't know if it includes the switch. Looking on line I found the kit for approximately $460. How difficult was the installation of the new hatch lift system?
Thanks,
Pete,
pkdiver
2005 28 TE

My boat had a separate hydraulic pump for the hatch lifter system when I bought it from JackK. The lifters themselves were just getting tired and would leak under load. New lifters improved the system, but I’ve ordered a new pump as well that should be in FL when I get back Sunday. At 16 years old it’s probably getting tired too. I’ll report back after replacement of the whole system, but even the new lifters with the old pump is very functional.

All the pieces were already in place so my install was simple, I just ran new tubing, replaced the lifters and followed the included instructions to bleed the system. I would be happy to snap some photos for you next week so you can see how it’s all mounted and run.

Working on anything down there is a huge PITA when worrying about getting crushed by the hatch, particularly because I keep a 26lb danforth and 600’ of line in there. I would highly recommend the Bennett lifter system for peace of mind and ease of access.

[Jaredh]

That's the way to extend your Florida adventures. Nice job!
Catching any fish in Bimini?

It was an awesome trip, more snorkeling and sightseeing with the wife than fishing. We got a couple barracuda and lost a nice wahoo boatside.

Fantastic trip though, definitely plan on doing it again!

[pkdiver]

Jared thanks for the reply. My boat didn't have a separate pump. The original lifters were electric ones from Uniflex. They would open an inch or so at a time and take forever to open until they finally failed. I pulled them out and called Uniflex to see if there was any way to repair them which I was told there wasn't. The cost for each was somewhere just under $700 as I recall.
I too had a fear of the hatch falling on me when I worked on something underneath the hatch and tied a rope to the hatch as a safety backup just in case it happened to fall.
Please post some more pictures when you get back to putting in the new pump. In looking at the install diagram and instructions for the Bennett Hatch Lifters it doesn't look too difficult. It will be a good project to tackle this spring.
Pete

[Ben423]

I am also planning to upgrade the hatch lifters. Any photos/tips you can provide would be much appreciated.

[Jaredh]

Sorry for the delay. Fished a sailfish tournament down here and have generally been pretending I’m retired at 32 before my wife and I have kids. Anyways, here are some photos of our hatch lifter setup.

[Ben423]

Thanks for the photos. They will be a great help when I do this project later in the spring.