Last year I experienced a hatch coming off at 200 ft due to the bolts vibrating loose. Since then I have used the following hatch retention on my Wild Hare Baby Edge, 28% Edge, and YAK. It's light, easy to make, vibration proof, and you can open and close the hatch in seconds. I've been using it for a year now with no problems.

I use the Sullivan Gold-n-Rod, a shingle nail, fuel tubing, and epoxy glue.

1. First, grind down the shaft of a shingle nail so it will fit into the inner Gold-n-Rod. Then I use 2 ton epoxy to glue the nail into the rod. You can shine the nail head up or paint it.
2. After the glue cures, run the rod through the fuselage holes that the hold down bolts would go through. Pull the rod all the way through until the nail head is against the fuselage. Leave about ½ to 1 inch hanging out of the other side and cut the rod. Be sure to taper the end you just cut.
3. Cut a piece of fuel tubing ½ to 1 inch long. The tubing will slide over the end of the rod that sticks out on the side opposite the nail. I use ordinary glow fuel tubing.
4. Now drill the holes in the hatch tabs big enough for the outer Gold-n-Rod. Slide the outer tube through the hatch holes, cut to fit, and glue it. See pictures:

Not a bad idea except for the nub sticking out. In the manual I suggest substituting 1/4"-20 nylon screws with threads cut into the wood tabs, I use that an almost everything now and have never lost one screw, let alone the hatch.

TF

My solution was to use bonded washers on my 4-40 screws. Havn't lost a hatch yet.

Besides security, another plus is not having to fool with screws. You just slide a piece of fuel tubing off and on.

I use the nylon screws, too. Only trouble is, everybody keeps bumming them off me........

That is a great Idea, I had the hatch come off my 28% LX due to the wooden tabs on the botton of the hatch breaking their glue, gave me and all watching a hell of a fright, slight damage to thr top of the wing on the way off; and I even added more glue in the build process, I have since built new tabs and epoxied and small screwed them on, I have built some small spring loaded sliding latches to make the removal of the hatch quick and easy, saves putting screws in and out all the time.
Well done!

Here is my solution on the hatch, I am very happy with it as it can be opened in a second with no tools and is easy to make.

I basically used a piece of 2mm piano wire that I bendt into a U-shape, then cut some pieces of CF tube 2mm I.D. for it to run in. Instead of the original screw i glued CF tube in both the fuse and the hatch-tab, making sure they alligned properly. Then I drilled and glued an extra CF tube in the fuse, in front of the tab to install the spring from a ball-point pen and a small wheel collar.
Both CF tubes stick out of the fuse about 1/16 to allow you to pull the pianowire and release the hatch.

Awhile back i found some 4-40 nylon bolts from Sig. I use them for hatches, cowls, everything. They stay in just like the 1/4 ones do, but you don't have to re do the blind nuts. I just put them in my 85"CAP. It took no time at all.

Good ideas here..Ill add my idea to the mix..I installed a hatch-latch from hobby lobby..takes 2 seconds to release/install my hatch and its just held with the single pin..here are some pics..these are from my Yak but it works the same for any plane..

I like the first post,, easy instalation, and completely eliminates those bolts, mine vibrate loose all the time, I could make some sort of elaborate method but I want to keep it simple and the first post method would do that, I will give it a shot,,

I use another method just to make sure I never lose a hatch, its the Master Lock method. It also has another purpose, moving the cg aft for better 3D flying. I just can't figure out how you guys get your planes so light.

Seriously, I use the bonded washers. I couldn't resist.

What's up with all the "ugly" or "complicated" solutions? Two 10 cent bonded washers for the usual 4-40 cap screws and it won't come loose. Also the suggestion of using a 4-40 or 1/4" nylon bolt work great too. You can't get any easier than "simple" and it looks good too!

There is some serious creativity going on here...

That would be to easy,, this creativity gives me a reason to go to my airplane shop and drink cold brews while working on the birds,,

I was losing the small screws as well. I was cranking them down so tight that the washer was pulling thru the balsa.

I went with Tom's suggested mod of using 1/4-20 nylon screws and tapping the plywood tabs on the hatch and hardening with thin CA. It works great! No more loose or missing screws. Also a lite-weight fix.

I was able to find black nylon screws with a big flange hex head that I can grip with my fingers and don't need a tool to tighten. Finger tight is all I need. The key is to carefully drill and tap the plywood tab. Tap the threads after hardening the drilled hole with thin CA. Add more thin CA after tapping the threads. You will have to re-tap the threads one last time after everything is dry just to clear out the CA that builds up in the threads.

Remember to drill out the hole in the side of the fuse slightly larger so you aren't threading the bolt into the fuse and then into the hatch tab. That will surely strip out the threads in the tabs.

Thanks again Tom for a quick, easy and inexpensive fix.

James.

What i did is when i drilled the hole for my Baby edge i tapped the tab for 4/40 bolts and then screwed the bolt directly into that with no washers no blind nuts. Secondly screwed the 4/40 head down into the fuse into the tab with the screw compressing the outside balsa and resting firmly on the hard wood you drilled through. clean and simple. did i also mention weight saving. Also i did drip a drop or 2 of CA in the tab to help harden the tapped threads. When you do you might need to run the tap through again to clean the threads.

Only thing you have to make sure is not to drill the hole through the fuse any bigger than the screw it self to make sure the screw head cant go threw. You end up with a 4/40 socket head screw that is flush with the out side of the plane and it will never vibrate out at least mine never did.