After decades with very limited innovation on escape hatches for multihulls, Swedish manufacturer Rutgerson now challenges the competitors by introducing a completely new type of escape hatch.
Cruising catamarans capsizing is rare, but it does happen. And once upside down, they cannot rise again. Therefore, all newly manufactured multihull boats must, according to international law, have an escape hatch mounted just above the waterline on each hull to allow trapped crew to get out and rescue personnel to come in. However, these escape hatches are notorious for leaking, as glue and seal age and dry up over time. In worst cases, the entire lens pops out.
Swedish manufacturer Rutgerson Marin has now taken on the challenge by developing an escape hatch where the acrylic lens is bolted to the frame rather than glued.
To reduce the risk of leakage ever further, Rutgerson’s escape hatch has double seals and an innovative flush frame in stainless steel which gives minimal resistance in the water and significantly reduces the pressure on the hatch.
“We wanted to create an escape hatch the boat owner can trust, year after year. It has been quite a challenge, due to the exposed position close to the waterline. But we are very pleased with the result. In the latest safety tests, the new hatch was resistant to more than twice the pressure without leaking compared to what is required“, says Charlotte Rutgerson, Managing Director of the family business on the Swedish west coast.
Rutgerson’s new multi-hull escape hatch is officially launched at the METS show in Amsterdam this week 19-21 November.