During construction with hatch raised. The aluminum bar stock supports are hinged to drop when raised. A notch in the ends catches on a 1/4" bolt clamped to the side of the shell. Kevlar cord stops will keep the hatch from raising too far, either by operator error or wind gust. A second cord is looped through the bars to pull them up when it's time to lower the hatch. I had originally found some used gas cylinders but my wood framing was nowhere near strong enough to stand the stress.
Picture Added 08-21-2009 01:44 AM Added by rrhatbruce