Have any of you put your hatches to the waterproof test?
I don’t mean dribbling water over them. I mean pounding surf, and upside down.
We just returned from a week at the beach, and a lot of playing in the surf, and both my 700 and my wifes 600 front and rear hatches took in water.
I am curious to know if any one else has had theirs in pounding breakers with the same results?
JackL
600 front
My 600 front hatch has taken water in the past. Haven’t tested it lately.
JackL, I 'm assuming you’re asking
about the “new” design hatch covers instead of the older “compression” covers since I know that’s what you have on you and your wife’s new QCC’s.
I haven’t had mine in surf yet but I will in the next few weeks. FWIW, on the way up to the last P.Net Jocassee get together, I ran through some VERY heavy rain…so heavy that one time I pulled off on the side of the interstate because I couldn’t see, but later found the inside of both compartments dry.
I am planning on going to the lake next week to practices rescues and work on my roll.I should also be going to Huntington Beach sometime in the next 3 to 5 weeks, and I’ll let you know how the hatches hold up both after next week and in the surf.
Tripp
Thanks…
I’ll be interested in hearing when you get back.
I have had mine in many gully washers, and they remained as dry as a bone.
After QCC replaced a hatch cover I poured water over all hatches in both the 600 and the 700 hundred and they remained dry.
I am suspecting that when the yak is upside down in the water, with some pressure on the hatches is when the leaks occur, and I am guessing that many of the “happy” QCC owners would have the same problem.
I don’t think it is coincidence that it happened to all four compartments.
JackL
my hatches have never
been totally dry. I’ve never had pools of water in the hatches but I dry bag everything I care about.
My second kayak, a Sirius with VCP hatches (or at least hatch covers) has been bone dry after every paddle, including a full day of rolling and rescue practice. I’ve become cocky and now I throw my purse in the day hatch with my palm pilot and cell phone without even a second thought, so a leak is probably inevitable.
Lyn
hmm
had my front hatch under a water fall and it stayed bone dry. Straps tight?
Day hatch
Just a little recommendation…I keep a small dry bag in the day hatch at all times and it is just big enough to fit my wallet, cell phone, palm pilot and car keys. When I arrive at the take out I empty it and put it back in the day hatch for the next time. I haven’t yet had a leak, but I don’t want to have the problems if ever one develops.
yep
both mine leak like a sieve (q700 purchased march 03)
Hmm
on the new style hatches I wonder if you could just wrap anuther band of rubber around it to make a tighter seal.
Some Leakage
My boat’s four months new. when I received it, the front remained bone dry, but the rear leaked profusely. Phil had a new hatch cover out to me within the week, and now about half to a full cup enters. The newer hatch has a thicker foam gasket, but I have to wonder if it’s leaking from the seam itself where the ends meet.
Thanks,
– Last Updated: Jun-04-04 4:15 PM EST –
That is what I was kind of guessing.
Ours were bought in February.
It appears that QCC has a problem.
I have had my Eclipse and my wifes's Shadow in breaking surf, and played with in surf dozens of times over the past seven years, and the hatches to this day remain bone dry.
JackL
Pearling
How much water in the QCC bow before it acts like a submarine? My homebuilt leaks like there is no sieve mesh on it, and when waves come over, its not long until 1/2 gallon intrudes. From there on, it’s important how far away the shore is until I start sinking.
Rear hatch leaks may not be the
fault of the hatch cover. Skeg boats leak through the skeg, unless religiously caulked. Rudder boats leak at the cable entrances. This was not a problem with the feathercraft rudders becuase QCC double sleved the cable in two rubber tubes. It is a problem with the new SealLine rudder.
Forward hatches take the brunt of big waves. Try vaseline or the like on the gasket to help it make a better seal.
bone dry
I wash my 700 after every use with the garden hose full blast and never find any water inside.
Both
– Last Updated: Jun-05-04 1:26 AM EST –
Dry from full force hose spray, but gets water in if I take several waves or do rescue practice.
I have the old style hatches. Usually not much water. Rear hatch MUCH drier since I modified the skeg control. The water in the skeg box would drain in when inverted - and can't anymore.
I have not looked at the new hatches up close. Having the seal oriented vertically seems odd. Gives the water a straight line into the compartment. Really makes the seal an all or nothing deal.
Maybe I'll toy around with the hatches as my next mini-project. I like the clean look of the straps (no tails), but they can't be cinched tight like the old Velcro versions. Having to adjust - then buckle - limits how tight I can get mine - which is just not tight enough. Partly because of the straps - and partly I think because the covers are not a perfect fit. Maybe some sort of low profile twist/lock down mechanical fastener...
I also recently sealed the edges of the covers and the compass nuts. Compass leaked through to the compartment. Very little (took me a year to notice), but zero now. Sealing the edges doesn't affect the compartments - but does keep water out of the covers themselves.
But…
Use it as I describe above, and I bet you will!
JackL
Nothing is perfect. (on this planet)
– Last Updated: Jun-05-04 7:45 AM EST –
and that is just the way it is as far as I am concerned.
Up side down in a maytag situation, I doubt any hard hatch system will be bone dry. Differential forces will compress the gasket on one side due to pressure on the hard surface (how many pounds per square inch?) This compression on one side will cause the other side to decompress and in the instant where pressure is applied ther and the overall system has not adjusted, leaks happen. Look at that leverage point created by the deck peak. Round rubber hatches simulate tensegrity structures much better, and stress is much more equally distributed
Black round hatches are ugly, and even kajaksport ones require replacement every so often. What are we gonna do?
I bet the maytag ratio of Qcc 600 and 700 to explorers (how many are maytagged more than 10 times / how many sold) are a bit different. They design to the criteria of of their percieved market and will improve and adapt, I hope, and that goes for both companies.
And the hatches on my 500 which never got maytagged never leaked more than a cup or two, and the boat was often up side down.
This is the reasoning
(at least initially) why NDK uses the small rubber hatch covers on their boats, difficulty in packing notwithstanding. My Explorer has always been bone dry in both hatches and from skeg cable tube. Repeated rolls and rescue practice no problem. The rear hatch on the QCC has a larger surface area; it stands to reason it might flex more and be more difficult to seal. I’ll have to check my rudder tubes to see if that’s where the water’s sneaking in from. This will give me one more thing to dislike about this rudder system. 
The rear seal is so tight, when I push it down to fasten it, I can hear a pressurized whoosh of air equalizing into the cockpit. Unlike Epic, I don’t believe they drill equalizing holes (equalising in my Brit boat). The only other place it could be doing this is from the bulkhead seal. Uh oh.
I had my new 700 in 2&3 ft waves
There was about a qt in front and a couple cups in back after diving into several waves. More than I get from rolling. If I’m in those conditions again I’m going to put a piece of duct tape over the front edge of the bow hatch, the waves would break over and I could see the spray come up off of the hatch edge. I’m sure it was forcing some inside too.
Good Luck
Randy
Caution!!! - that whoosh sound
– Last Updated: Jun-05-04 1:39 PM EST –
when you push down on the hatch cover may not be what you think it is. Mine did it too, until I sealed the edges of the cover.
It was just air between the top and bottom of the cover being forced out the edges. Take the cover off and push on both sides. I bet you hear the air! I did - and it prompted some sealant application.
Probably notthe bulkhead seal - those are rock solid. If notthe cover itself - check where rudder/skeg line passes through.
Hey - maybe venting the bulkheads would HELP! Less presure differntial when taking a wave or rolling...