Hidden engine hatch hinges

Hi All,
I am looking for some ideas for some hinges for the engine hatch in our Chris Craft Riveria replica that we are building. In the real Rivieras the hatch hinges sideways and has a simple hidden hinge.

For various reasons that cannot be done in our boat and the hatch will have to hinge from the rear end of the hatch which is at a bulkhead.

To further complicate things the hatch is, of course, curved from port to starboard as it follows the camber of the deck.

I would like to find some hinges or some ideas about how to have hinges that are hidden away - a bit like hood hinges on most cars.

I did find this site that has hinges for hot rods but am still not sure if they will do the trick and are quite expensive. http://www.sachserodshop.com/pdf/212.pdf

I have attached a couple of photos of the deck area and engine hatch to show what I mean. I can take a few other photos if it helps with ideas.

 

Those hinges are nice, but billet, which makes them costly. They'll work with some modifications, but you could fabricate along similar lines or use a different engineering approach. Personally I'd use a curved beam hinge, which slides in a track or pocket or possibly another variation on the articulated hinge you've linked.

 

I like the idea of a different engineering approach. Can you please explain how a curved beam hinge works? Is this like a trunk (boot to us) lid hinge in a car?

 

Yep, just like a boot hinge. There are many ways to skin a cat (or hatch hinge). One of the hallmarks of craftsmanship, is the incorporation of clever solutions to common difficulties. I can think of at least 6 different methods to lift your hatch clear, none particularly difficult to fabricate.

When faced with these types of problems I usually sketch up "possibilities". If I find one or two that seem clever enough to suit my needs, then I'll build a mock up. This could be little more then some duct tape and pieces of cardboard, to elaborate foam and wooden assemblies to prove the concepts in full scale if necessary. I have a burn pile full of bits of wood, too small to use for anything else, the remains of these trial and error tests.

 

I did try to make up a hinge in alum similar to the one in the link I posted but it did not work quite like I imagined it would. I mucked aound with pivot points but still could not get the thing to swing forward then upwards as I require. There must be some back arts (or science/engineering) involved with hinges.

If you have any other methods of swinging this hatch please don't hold back as I am running out of ideas.

 

Problem solved!

In another forum a user has opened my eyes to using the original method of hinging the hatch but instead of mounting the hinge pin fore and aft just put is sideways near the rear of the hatch. As soon as the hatch starts opening the very rear part will swing down and clear the rear decking.

Simple and obvious (now that I have worked though it) in the end.