I know this topic has been covered to death it seems but I think I have a new question. I want to do magnetic hatches on my S&G cirrus and was trying to figure out how many magnets and what sizes I need. I searched the archives and found that most are saying 1/2" x 1/8".

That takes care of the size part but the number is a little more elusive. I've seen posts saying anywhere from 8 pairs per hatch to 18 per hatch. The problem is that most say "I used 12 per hatch with 3" spacing" but is that 12 pairs or 12 magnets( 6 in the hatch and 6 in the deck)? Also it seems some people are saying 10 pairs seemed like about 15lbs of force and about right for a day hatch (but not strong enough for main hatches) while others report that 8 pairs was to tight to open with cold/wet hands.

I think a major variable that has been ignored is the gasket material. If I use 3/8ths by 1/2" and some one else uses 1/4 by 1/4 gasket then their hatch is going to be much tighter because the smaller gasket material will allow the magnets to get much closer resulting in a stronger attraction.

I guess what I'd like to see is for all of you who have done Magnetic hatches to post up how many PAIRS of magnets you used, what spacing you put them on, and what size gasket material you used. An opinion of how hard or easy to open the hatch is would also be useful, and as always a picture is worth a thousand words!

Thanks!