Kajaksport hatches

[PeterB]

Kajaksport hatches are used on a number of boats: NDK, P&H, Tiderace, (and, of course Kajaksport.) and others. Along with Valley hatches, they seem to be the standard in the industry.

The hatches come in two types: the older, traditional rubber hatch, which is more floppy and malleable , and a newer type, which is more rigid,( some different plastic material in there) . I think that if you order or receive a boat with Kajaksport hatches, by default you might get the newer, more rigid style.

In the opinion of this paddler , the older style is better. My new Tiderace boats (Xcite and Xplore) came with the new hatches, but I am switching to the older style, at no small expense. The newer ones open and close easily and that’s good, but they all seem to leak and the more rigid lip on the hatches do not really clasp down on the hatch rim as the flexible rubber ones do. I prefer the old ones. Theyre not easy to affix but i think theyre more watertight, and that, after all, is what its all about. .

I think that the newer design was conceived to address the problem that the old ones were floppy and , in theory , could implode with enough pressure (crashing waves , surf etc ).

However I think that in making a more rigid hatch the flexibility which achieves a good seal might be compromised. When I called the Kayak Academy and chatted with George Gronseth he concurred .

The oval hatches are $ 99 per new hatch. Ouch! .

SO, I would advise: , take care of your hatches (303 regularly and make sure they; re tethered soundly so you dont lose them ) , because replacing them is pricey. and: if youre considering a new boat by P&H, Tiderace or any that have Kajaksport hatches, specify the old rubber hatches. make sure you receive a boat with them them in the first place

[brambor]

Peter

You ansp have an Ikkuma with kajaksport hatches dont you? We used to have 2 ikkumas. My wife's hatches are much easier to open and seal than the other ikkuma that i have since sold. I used to have a real hard time closing the large ovals.

[Rob Hazard]

Peter, does this leaking issue apply to the round hatches as well as the ovals?

[PeterB]

Peter, does this leaking issue apply to the round hatches as well as the ovals?

Rob,

Yes i think it does. The newer, more rigid lip (vertical part ) that wraps over the hatch rim seems too rigid and not malleable enough to really conform to that hatch rim . This applies to all these hatches, oval or round. I was able to switch out round hatches from other boats (Ikkuma and Cetus) so my Xcite now has two old style hatches. However the Xplore has " narrow oval hatches" not the same size as other P&H ovals, so icant switch out fro other bats with standard oval hatches and will have to buy 2 new ones.

Brambor: yes, the newer model hatches most definitely do affix and detach more easily. But that may be the problem.

Field testing next. Lets go paddle!

[Brian Nystrom]

You might want to try Sea Dog's Sealect hatch covers. They've got a rigid center and soft lip, and they make them in sizes to fit both Kajaksport and Valley hatch rings. The Valley replacements are really nice, but I haven't used their Kajaksport parts myself. Their pricing is much better than either factory replacement.

[jdkilroy]

Interestingly;

Even Kajaksport indicates that their rubber hatches are the best of all their hatches; this is a quote taken directly from their web site:

"Kajak-Sport original hatch cover series is made of real rubber. 100 % watertight hatch cover solution is created for the most demanding "expedition" use, when the cover is used in abberant conditions and when the maximum reliability is essential."

In addition to treating the exposed portion, keeping the inside of the hatch cover 303'd and also the hatch rim, makes their use, even the monstrous rear hatch on the the Cetus, easy to use. Treating the inside of the cover and the hatch rim is even more important for "ease" of use on Valley boats.

Jon

[brambor]

Nice. Good tip. Thanks Jon.

In addition to treating the exposed portion, keeping the inside of the hatch cover 303'd and also the hatch rim, makes their use...

Jon

[nancysan]

I replaced a hatch cover on my daughter's Avocet two winters ago. Do you know if this would be considered an old or new cover? I've never thought any of them on that boat were very easy to get in to.

[Phil Allen]

I replaced a hatch cover on my daughter's Avocet two winters ago. Do you know if this would be considered an old or new cover? I've never thought any of them on that boat were very easy to get in to.

Nancy-

Valley (who makes the avocet) uses their own hatches, which are made out of a stiff foam.

Phil

[tyson]

Field testing next. Lets go paddle!

A different data point/experience:

Emilie's Tahe Greenland has the "hard", round Kajaksport hatches. They have been both easy to operate and absolutely water tight.

...they have been rolled, submerged, dumped on and otherwise "tested". ;-)

Cheers!

Ty

[Rob Hazard]

One thing I have noticed about my new hatches is that they came already tethered to the boat from the inside. It is really easy to trap a loop of line under the hatch rim and make a path for water incursion. In fact I have to be careful not to get the line trapped under the rim. Perhaps that is the cause of your leakage?

[nancysan]

Nancy-

Valley (who makes the avocet) uses their own hatches, which are made out of a stiff foam.

Phil

Thanks Phil. I was mixing those hatch covers up with my Tempest, which does have a messed up cover and happens to be Kajaksport. Thanks. I guess I'm hatch dyslexic. My covers are not stiff but the rear seems a bit lopsided, although if I put a lot of effort in to putting it on right, it looks better. However I do leak back there and have never taken the time to determine whether it's the cover or the skeg box. My day hatch is almost impossible to remove, which can be a problem. That mini tab just doesn't do it for me.

Nancy

[konstantin_art]

Hello Peter,

First of all, thank you for volunteering to share your experience and giving a heads up without being expressly asked in some already open topic–in the true spirit of selflessly helping the paddling community.

One way to make your hatches 100% waterproof is to install compression bungee cord on them.

This is what I did with my 3 “NDK Explorer HV” hatch covers (2 big Round rubber “old style” Kajaksport and 1 stiff Valley day-hatch cover) before I even put the boat in the water.

A double loop of bungee cord (a folded figure 8) finished with a symmetrical knot).

The beauty of using a knot and not metal clamps and shrink tubing is that you can retighten the bungee if it becomes too loose over time.

Or, you can untie it and have a length of cord for some emergency uses –the multipurpose approach.

For the Day Hatch Cover (hard Valley) I used a ¼” bungee –thicker with more compression to squeeze the hard foam to the hatch rim.

For the 2 big rubber round lids I used a single loop of thinner bungee.

This solution is only useful if the lid’s sidewalls have channels which would prevent the bungee to slip out.

Furthermore I tether every hatch cover on the outside using a cord that attaches to the compression bungee and then to an RDF.

The added benefit of such approach is that if, God forbid, I loose a hatch cover (slips somehow from the compression bungee) I can use the remaining tethered bungee loop to create a makeshift hatch cover from a trash bag or something else. It is definitely cheaper then carrying a spear hatch cover or two (of different sizes).

So, Peter before you break the bank with new hatch covers maybe you can try this waterproofing system first.

On a second thought, I don’t know how well a bungee will compress an oval cover –there will be uneven tension, but it is worth trying nonetheless.

Oh, and next time when you guys make fun of the “small” round hatches of the NDK Explorer just remember how easy it is to put them on and off and to make them 100% waterproof. All while you are breaking your fingers struggling with the finicky oval ones. Just a friendly reminder!

There you have it -my 2 ½ cents!

Konstantin

[brambor]

Looks like the boats should come with a mini booklet that says: So you got a new boat...now let's make it usable following this list of fixes...