02-03 electric hatch release mechanism

[obd666]

I have been working through some wintertime projects and finally got around to fixing the electric hatch mechanism on one of my rear lockers. I didn't find any detailed info when I was researching it so I wanted to do a quick write up for folks that might run into it in the future. This feature came on boats for such a short period of time that there is very little info on repairing it and basically no parts info available on any of our suppliers websites aside from the button itself.

The first picture with the red arrow shows the "mini rotary" slam latch that locks and releases the rear lockers. The arrow is pointing to the spring inside the latch that had broken and caused the latch not to spring open anymore, nor would it stay open to allow you to slam the lid back shut. The other pics show the 3 piece assembly and how it looks taken apart. It is easiest to just detach the lever from the actuator arm, then take off the entire backing plate before separating the latch itself.

The latch is not repairable once the spring fails so locating a replacement was critical. I got in touch with Eberhard Manufacturing and it turns out they still make this latch, part number "241-SS R/L". The one in my pics is a "R", they go for about $25 each. After installing the new latch the locker flings open like new again.

[obd666]

so tonight i finished rehabing the hatch release on the other side of the boat. the new latches really did the trick, below is a quick vid ... is nice to get them back functioning the way they were intended to.

[NautiqueJeff]

Nice work! That was one of my favorite features of my '03 210.

[beach]

Wow, that opens nicely. I think I'll probably order a latch for each side before they go out of production. Do you do any other maintenance on your hatches while you were replacing your latches? They really operate smoothly.

This might sound like a weird question, but how recently were your gas shocks replaced? New ones were put in when I bought my boat and they seem to open quite forcefully/fast.

[obd666]

my gas shocks are still original, so i'm sure new ones would fling them open harder ... aside from replacing the latches, i cleaned and lubed up all the pivot points and snugged everything back up tight when i reassembled. on one side i found that the striker wasn't contacting the latch in the best spot and thus didn't open and close quite right, so i ended up making some adjustments to their placement.

[DC Industries]

Be careful to order the same shocks as the originals, length and pressure. Adding more will cause too much tension on the Eberhard latch that will not allow the actuator to trigger. Also make sure you always reinstall the composite backing plate. Remounting without it will cause the assembly to not operate, it was designed to operate on a flat surface, not curved.

[alexbailey228]

Awesome write up!!!! This is exactly what I needed!

[rcazwillis]

The hatch is supposed to open by itself??!!! Ah man, one more item on the list. Last week, one of my latches started the same symptom of not staying open. Glad to hear there is a solution.

[UDTDave]

Anyone know where to get the electric actuator for the latch. Mine quit.

thanks! Never mind, actuator tested good, problem is no power. Running that’s down now.

[functionoverfashion]

Found this from a search - I'm thinking of replacing my electric release latches with ones like the engine has - a simple mechanical catch with a piece of webbing to release. That way I don't need the power to be on to open the hatches (security is not an issue) and don't have to worry about them failing one day. My port side hatch already was acting funny toward the end of the season.

Anyone done this, or have any reason why not to do it?

This is the part I'm talking about: https://www.nautiqueparts.com/product/hatch-slam-latch/

[NautiqueJeff]

If security isn't a concern, I don't see any reason not to do this.

[core-rider]

Assuming the electric actuator doesn’t just lockup why not continue using them and if they do eventually quit working just use the manual release already in place? Yes it requires opening the engine hatch to gain access, but not the end of the world IMO.


Sent from my iPhone using PLT Nautique

[functionoverfashion]

Assuming the electric actuator doesn’t just lockup why not continue using them and if they do eventually quit working just use the manual release already in place? Yes it requires opening the engine hatch to gain access, but not the end of the world IMO.


Sent from my iPhone using PLT Nautique

I guess I didn't know there's a way to manually release them without power. This would be helpful in the spring, as I relocated the batteries to underneath one of these. I take out the engine divider so I can reach the cables, provide power, and release the hatch in the spring.

What I'm trying to avoid is really two things: 1) having one of these fail at an inopportune time, and 2) having to have the dash power on just to access the space.