OK, let's hear your little tricks for removing the engine hatch on a TG. I had my Formula kind of down to a science but it uses a different hinge set-up and the hatch wasn't as large. Got to pull my stbd engine due to lifter failure and the accompanying shrapnel so I'm going to pull port while I'm at it and go through both. I'll have plenty of manpower handy but just wondering if anyone has any "tips" for making it a little easier.

They are pretty heavy. You have a mount at the hydraulic hatch lift assembly which is usually two 3/8" bolts from above (9/16" wrench). You can take those two bolts out or you can take the single 1/2" bolt out from underneath and then just set the hatch back flat again. If you have an engine room light mounted on the hatch, disconnect that as well. You can set some hard foam under the front of the hatch to give you 'finger' room. Then undo the hinges and either sling it off with a tall engine crane or get three friends so you each get a hatch corner and then walk it aft and off of the boat.

Barry

That's kind of the procedure I had in mind, Barry. Someone is going to have to stay in the bilge while we let the hatch down to hold backup while the last 2 hinge screws are removed, which still isn't a problem. Shouldn't take more than a couple minutes to remove the last 2 screws. I have an excavator handy and some slings so that may be the ticket for lifting it off. Somone seems to always get in a bind when you are trying to lift it by hand and I would REALLY hate to drop it!

Unless you really don't like one of your buddies and you want to cram him in the engine compartment, all you have to do is tweak the hatch ram up a little bit and let the ram hold the hatch up. Of course if you don't like a guy, cram him in there! LOL

Well, there are a couple that I wouldn't mind leaving in there after the job's done but that's another story! I thought about lifting the hatch just a little with the lift ram but I didn't know how the weight was distributed and didn't want the hatch to shift when the last screws/nuts were removed. I think with enough people we can hold it in place until I can get the weight back off the ram. I'm sure this entire project will make for some good photo opportunities! Especially, using the boom of the excavator as an A-frame to hang the chain fall from. Nothing like coonass engineering!

Use your hoist. I used a dock line to tie mine up with foam pad protecting the mirrored underside. Had it held in 3 points that allowed me to lift it up and set it down without any real trouble. Do use the hatch ram to stabilize it and to keep it up.

i did both my coupler earlier this year in my shop i didnt take the hatch off i tied it straight up to a rafter and picked the motors over the side dont know if you have any were to tie it to.
good luck