Evsco

Member

Registered: 6 Jul 2015

Posts: 6

Shearwater hatches - how waterproof?

Hi,

I wonder if, based on your collective experiences, you could advise on how waterproof the usual hatches are on the Shearwater kayak?

Has anyone ever considered fitting commercially available hatches instead, a bit like those on the Petrel?

Many thanks

Paul

Employee

From: Gatebeck Cumbria

Registered: 4 Aug 2011

Posts: 131

Re: Shearwater hatches - how waterproof?

The standard hatches on the Shearwaters do not let in water that sprays over the deck or when rolling but after a day of pounding waves there can be some drops of water inside.  I do not consider this a major problem since they do not fill with water and any items in the boat should be in a dry bag.

The Rubber Hatches that we supply with the Petrel, and sell separately, are certainly waterproof but they are not without their problems.  I find them difficult to use when my fingers are cold and over the years I have had problems with leaks where the ring attaches to the deck.  My colleague who built Petrel made a couple of attempts to seal them using different products but water still seeped in.  He then tried a Sealer which seems to have solved the problem: we now supply this as well.

One customer recently fitted the wooden screw-in hatch that is found on a Night Heron.  These certainly work well on the Night Heron but you have to carry a wooden lever in the cockpit to open the hatch.