🔧 How to Calculate the Perfect Mounting Position for a Linear Actuator (Boat Hatch, Trap Door, Skylight & More)
Looking to install a linear actuator on your boat hatch, trap door, skylight, or custom lid — but unsure where exactly to mount it or what size you need? You're not alone. This is one of the most common challenges for DIY builders, marine fabricators, RV owners, and custom home installers.
The solution? Use our free, easy-to-use FIRGELLI Hatch Actuator Calculator — the industry’s most precise and intuitive tool to calculate exactly where to mount your actuator and which model is right for your project.
🧠 Why Mounting Location Matters
Linear actuators are powerful tools, but if installed incorrectly — too close to the hinge, at the wrong angle, or with the wrong stroke length — they won’t work efficiently (or safely). Mounting position affects:
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Required force output
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Stroke length needed to achieve full lift
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Structural stress on hinges or lids
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Clearance and opening angle
By getting this wrong, you risk stalling actuators, bending lids, or burning out motors.
✅ What Types of Projects Does This Apply To?
Our calculator is designed for nearly any project where a panel or lid opens on a hinge — including:
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🚤 Boat hatches (rear engine compartments, deck lids, livewells)
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🪟 Skylight windows (for ventilation or automated opening)
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🪜 Trap doors (floor or ceiling access)
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🛠️ Tool compartments or utility enclosures
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🎧 Audio-visual cabinets and speaker lifts
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🛏️ Storage beds and RV slide-outs
📐 What Inputs Do You Need to Calculate the Mounting?
Using our calculator is simple. All you need are a few basic measurements:
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Lid Height – Vertical dimension from hinge to edge when closed
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Lid Width – Depth of the panel from hinge to far edge
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Lid Weight – Total weight the actuator needs to lift
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Desired Opening Angle – Typically between 45° and 75°
Once entered, the calculator provides:
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Recommended stroke length
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Required actuator force
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Exact mounting points (X/Y coordinates from the hinge)
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Visual simulation of your opening arc
👉 Try it now: FIRGELLI Hatch Calculator
🧰 Example: Installing an Actuator for a Boat Hatch
Let’s say you have a rear deck hatch on a wake boat that’s 48” deep, 13” tall when closed, and weighs 60 lbs. You want it to open to about 60°.
Plug those numbers into the calculator, and you’ll get:
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Stroke Length Required: ~12"
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Force Required: ~95 lbs (with safety margin)
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Mounting Position (Lid): 20” from hinge
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Mounting Position (Floor): 7.2” forward and 12.5” down from hinge
This ensures smooth, reliable lift with no guesswork or trial-and-error.
💡 Pro Tips for Actuator Installations
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Use a quick-release clevis pin with a pull string — so you can open manually in case of power failure.
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Reinforce mounting points with backer plates or marine-grade plywood.
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Avoid overkill — bigger actuators take more space and power. Precision matters more than brute force.
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Add limit switches or programmable controllers like the FIRGELLI FCB-1 for synchronized dual-actuator setups.
🎯 Why Use FIRGELLI’s Calculator vs. Doing It Manually?
Manual calculations require:
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Trigonometry
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Torque analysis
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CAD modeling
With the FIRGELLI calculator, you get:
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Instant results
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Visual diagrams
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Suggested actuator models
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No engineering degree required
It’s the fastest and most accurate way to select and install linear actuators for hinged applications.
🚀 Start Building Smarter
At FIRGELLI, we’ve been engineering reliable linear motion solutions for over 20 years. Our free calculator tool reflects decades of real-world application and customer feedback.
Whether you’re automating a yacht hatch or upgrading a hidden storage lid, make sure you do it right — the first time.
👉 Use the Hatch Actuator Calculator now → https://www.firgelliauto.com/pages/hatch-calculator
🛒 Popular Actuators for Hatch Lifts
🔍 Still Have Questions?
Contact our engineering team at support@firgelliauto.com — we’re happy to review your specs or even simulate your setup for you.
📈 Optimize Your Build. Reduce Guesswork. Install with Confidence.
Use the FIRGELLI Hatch Actuator Calculator to design smarter, safer, and smoother opening systems — for every application.
