Choosing the Right Hatch Covers for Your Kayak

By Kyle Brandon


If you're purchasing a new canoe, or you want to make some changes to your old canoe, you might want to consider the type of hatch cover you choose. Even though it may seem like a minor detail, the right hatch cover makes it easy to access your gear while on the water. Good covers also stay in place in coarse water and improve buoyancy if you capsize. Here's a snappy guide to the main sorts of hatch covers you have got to select from so you'll get something you will be satisfied with for years.

If you're purchasing a touring kayak, which performs best in open waters, you will find storage sections at both ends of the kayak having a lid on the deck. If your canoe capsizes, these store areas, or bulkheads, will give you enough buoyancy to keep you floating if the hatch lids remain secure. There are one or two types of hatch lids you can check for. The 1st is a plastic lid, which has a gasket and closes using cargo straps. These plastic lids perform pretty well, although you'll have difficulty using them in unsettled water. The gaskets can also become damaged if the straps are too tight or even during use to achieve access to your items.

You may also get neoprene covers that stretch over the hatch opening. They may be utilised with a hard cover and then secured with straps like the plastic lid. They offer a good seal, though stretching the neoprene is a bit tricky and the lid will only work if it is in place superbly.

You can select rubber covers, which simply snap to the deck lip or hatch ring, although you will still need a strap to be sure the cover isn't lost. Eventually, toggle latches have a gasket that toggles to provide a good seal for the lid.

When you are choosing the right hatch for your canoe, remember you should generally have some form of bilge pump on hand if water conditions become coarse or to get water out of the canoe after you capsize. You will also want to use many little dry bags in the hatch instead of a single large one. Occasionally and annually check the gaskets to make certain they're in good condition and don't need replacement and use float bags in both hatches to add some buoyancy to the craft if you capsize.




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