[Anonymous]

[attachment=0:24tbl7ia]P1120565.JPG[/attachment:24tbl7ia][attachment=1:24tbl7ia]P1120564.JPG[/attachment:24tbl7ia]Hi Members,

Ours is an ‘older’ model bavaria (2002), and has no handle to open or close the main sliding hatch. All we had is the little catch which is part of the locking mechanism. This caused a lot of problems with ‘her’ fingernails, and so I was tasked to have a handle made.
Having made a drawing for the stainless steel man, I was ready to commision the job, when on an impulse I went to the cabinet fittings department in Leroy Merlin (for those of you who are unfamiliar with the name, it is the European equivalent of B & Q, and some say a bit better. (they even sell the ‘Air Breeze’ wind turbine – if you are that way inclined, and also solar panels, including semi-flexible ones.
Anyway, I found stainless cabinet handles in several styles and sizes, although I opted for a plain one. The only drawback was that the fixing screws were not stainless, but that problem was soon remedied at my local inox screw shop, and much cheaper than the chandlers.

Fitting the handle was simple, although great care is necessary to drill the holes in the hatch, so as to get a close fit. I drilled one hole, attached the handle and then very carefully marked the position for the second hole. Don’t forget to tape over the hole location before drilling!
The actual position in the fore and aft sense may vary from one model to another, but ensure the handle does not impact on the forward and of the hatch opening.
The handle was fitted using loctite, a nylon washer on the underside of the hatch,and a little silicone sealant above, under the washer, to keep everything watertight.
That is it – total cost about 6 euros. (Another tip – use a little silicone grease on the hatch slides from time to time – works wonders!)

Cheers,

Michael – “Time Off”

[Anonymous]

Thanks Michael.

I’ve encountered the same limitations with my hatch and been wondering about an effective way to improve the situation as well as secure the hatch a bit open for ventilation during the night. Your handle application and a bit of s/s cable to the stair hand holds would appear to work a treat – effective and inexpensive.

[Anonymous]

Nice idea!

[Author]

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