Look for an access cover - one those round twist off kind - that gives access to the lift mechanism in the engine compartment. There is usually a disconnect - a pin or a cotter key - so that the cover can be manually lifted. If none, try lifting the cover manually. The hydralics maybe set to allow manual override. My Chaparral has the jumper posts to allow a jumper battery to be used to both start the engine and lift the cover.

On the new boats, there are + and - posts in the compartment where the battery switches are. I have been told that you use one of those portable jumpstart boxes or a battery charger and connect it up to those. That gives the power to open the electric hatch. My dealer told me thats how they get in there when they get a new boat in but no batteries have been installed yet.

I have a 93 Chapparal and I am a new boat owner. My battery seems to be dead and I wanted to jump it. The problem is I can not get the hatch open to jump the battery w/ 2 dead batteries. Does anyone have an knowledge on how to open the hatch manually?