Waterproof hatches, what works what dosent

Hey guys,

dont know if this topic has had much discussion but what hatches have people had good experiences with.

standard boat hatches look nice and cheap.

round hatches are ugly in my opinion.

What are everyone’s thoughts?

I think the round ones are the best chance of actually being waterproof. A screw thread applies uniform pressure around the whole circumference of the seal. Flat hatches can only apply punctual pressure. If I was to make it square, I would build a stiff hatch with screws every 50mm that clamp it down. Only works if the hatch and the board are very stiff.

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Right, I’ve bought this one http://www.marine-impact.com/coffres-et-trappes-de-visite/934-trappe-de-visite.html but water passes through both corner around the handle, where pressure is not sufficient. Perhaps hatches with two pressure handles are better.

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I was looking at Hobie kayak hatchs. They have square and round. They are $115.00-125.00. I have used both on kayaks and they seal really well.

They look really sturdy and well designed. The size might be a bit small as interior dimension is the one of an A4 sheet of paper. Using 2 of them might be an option if the price of 115USD per unit isn’t a problem.

Hobie%207003%20Hatch

Do you know this kind of trapdoor?
They look good because they have multiple closing points…

http://topkayaker.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=18_98&products_id=471