Dagger Alchemy rear hatch

I love the boat, but I hate the rear hatch. Way too much water gets in during rolls and rescues. I’ve contacted my dealer a couple of times and he’s working on a solution, but I wondered if anyone on this board has figured anything out. Thanks in advance!

I sealed the hatch holes up
I had minor a minor leaking issue with the rear hatch also (Alchemy S). I noticed that there were large spaces around the skeg control tube and there was also a hole at the top of the bulkhead that probably exists for pressure equalization issues.

Think of the problem this way; if you have a bottle with no holes and open the lid, water comes in slowly due to the pressure inside of the bottle. If the bottle has 2 holes water can enter rapidly as the pressure is allowed to leave via the secondary hole

I sealed around the skeg control with caulk and stuck a golf tee in the factory drilled pressure equalization hole. Leaks are no longer a major issue, not fully dry but not a major issue. (If I want to ensure a dry ride that is what I put in a dry bag).

I do not worry about losing a hatch lid due to pressure popping it off as it is under the straps in the J racks.


Factory “kit”…
Mine leaked terrible, the dealer ended up getting a “factiry retrofit kit”, which amounted to a couple of 1/8" or so foam sheets that fit to the underside of the hatches to improve the seal. I glued them in so I wouldn’t lose them. They don’t cure the leaking, but lessened it considerably. I also found my bulkheads not to be fully sealed, used 3m 5200 “fast cure”,(not the regular that takes 72hrs. to dry). Now the hatches stay only a lttle wet inside. One other thing for playing in the surf or rough water I did was to secure two lines to the perimeter lines that have a buckle at the center of the rear hatch, this creates an X over the hatch & now prevents it getting imploded or blown by a big wave & also helps the seal.



All the best, tOM

Thanks
I was thinking along the very same lines, so I’m glad to hear your solution is sort of working. And yes, I am as concerned about losing the hatch in rough water as I am about the leaking.



Shame. Such a lovely little boat. Kajaksport hatches would have been awesome…

Contact Dagger
Yes, call dagger and they will send you a new hatch with added foam seal. Otherwise I really love mine and have no other issues.