hinged kayak hatches??

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alick burt
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Joined: Wed Sep 07, 2005 2:41 am
Location: united kingdom
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hinged kayak hatches??

Post by alick burt »

Hi Folks
I am in the process of making my first woodstrip kayak and have been thinking about hatch openings.
All the ones I have seen so far have been held on with bungees or straps without hinges.
I am thinking that putting bungees straps and cleats ontop of my boat will really spoil the look of the pattern I have createdImage and so was thinking about using some hinges and a flush ring handle with some sort of catch to close the hatch or hatches.
Has anyone done this or seen it done?
Can anyone see any problems with this idea?
I was thinking of making an octagonal hatch or hatches with the hinges on the side. :thinking
I still intend to have a rebate all round with a rubber seal around the edge to keep the water out.
Thanks in advance for any answers/comments.
Alick
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Jeff in Farmington, MI
Posts: 118
Joined: Wed Jul 07, 2004 3:19 pm
Location: Farmington, Michigan, USA

Re: hinged kayak hatches??

Post by Jeff in Farmington, MI »

Hello Alick,
I too did not want to busy my kayak deck with additional bungees or straps, and fortunately I stumbled upon an alternative at this website http://www.outdoorplace.org/paddling/Sport/Sport1.htm
Click on the photo labeled "hatch covers" for more details.
The hatch covers are cut from the deck and remain flush after installation. Only a small strap loop is required to open them. The hatches are held down by two loops of bungee cord secured to the inside of the hull. To secure the hatch, the bungee is placed over hooks or pegs on the underside of the hatch.

I used the bungee cords a bit differently on my kayak, utilizing two hooks on each side of each hatch, and a separate bungee as a tether for each.
Image
IMG_0949 by jdely2007, on Flickr
Image
IMG_0981 by jdely2007, on Flickr

The hatch is sealed with a foam strip which sits in a groove molded into a carbon/fiberglass flange. Vaclav has an excellent method and instructions for this flange at http://oneoceankayaks.com/Wshophtm/Shop20.htm

Good luck!
Jeff
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Glen Smith
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Location: Baie-St-Paul, Quebec, Canada

Re: hinged kayak hatches??

Post by Glen Smith »

Internal bungees is my favorite method.
alick burt
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Re: hinged kayak hatches??

Post by alick burt »

Thank you for your replies guys
I have also heard of people using rare earth magnets to hold the hatches shut.Has anyone had experience of this good or bad?
Many Thanks
Alick
Rod Tait

Re: hinged kayak hatches??

Post by Rod Tait »

I have info on my web site on magnet hatches and internal bungies. Print out the instructions on the "How To" page
alick burt
Posts: 255
Joined: Wed Sep 07, 2005 2:41 am
Location: united kingdom
Contact:

Re: hinged kayak hatches??

Post by alick burt »

Thank you for your reply Rod
I think magnets will be the route I take when I get to that stage.Am currently working on improving my workshop space by putting up a partition to help keep heat in for my glassing stage.
Many Thanks
Alick :applause
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