Has anyone ever added a hatch to an OK Mars. I just want something large enough for spare paddle etc., when fishing the bays along the coast, with occasionally paddling thru the surf to head out. thanks
Spare paddle in a hatch??!
– Last Updated: Dec-18-04 1:57 PM EST –
Open the hatch in rough seas? Lose bouyancy? get swamped? (can you say cleopatra's needle?) Get in deep %$X#% ? No way! Except for a day hatch hatches should not be opened at sea. Yes I have seen it done by pros in some chop because they did not have a day hatch (they had to get a first aid kit because I was bleeding pretty badly), but they were rafted up.
if needed, Put in some pad eyes, or get some deck fittings from QCC, if they will be kind enough to send some to you, and secure your spare paddle with bungies and/or straps and side release buckles on deck.
Now as for putting in a hatch to be opened on shore, I know nothing about that. Never done mods to a plastic boat. Sorry
Do you have a hatch cover kit in mind?
Or are you improvising?
Being unfamiliar with your boat, I can’t visualize what you might be up against. I put a front hatch cover in my Necky Looksha Sport, but the boat already had a hatch frame and moat molded in, so all I had to do was cut the opening and install screws for the hold-down straps. Having the hatch opening was also very helpful for installing a Voyageur Stow-Float in the bow, which was more difficult when pushing the bag in from the cockpit.
hatch kit
just something about 8" in dia so i could stow a spare paddle up front and give me access to epoxy a transducer in bottom. wasn’t goin to open it underway unless absolutely necessary.
So if you will use epoxy, this is a
composite boat? One thing that occurs to me, regarding paddle storage, is that you should check to see if your breakdown spare paddle segments will pass in/out of an 8" hatch, allowing for the “depth” of the hatch, and also the depth of the boat.
Assuming you’ve never laid up a cockpit rim (I have), then finding a suitable hatch kit is critical. If your manufacturer does not offer one, then you will have to find a “happy coincidence,” an existing kit suitable for your boat construction (composite or plastic) and for the contour of the deck where you intend to install.
I think I have seen some hatch kits around, but never looked hard at them as I did not need them.
For me, having a two-piece breakdown spare paddle on the deck is the best solution, but you can also consider a paddle leash on your primary paddle (I don’t know how the cogniscenti feel about leashes), while also thinking about whether you are more likely to break or lose your primary paddle. Maybe neither. One gets attached. I got separated from my primary paddle only once in 30 years, on Chattooga 4 at a healthy 2.7 foot water level.
As for the transducer, for speed? You could get occasional speed readings from a GPS, but I guess for training, a water pressure transducer gives more constant feedback. Or maybe you are just using sonar on fish?
OK, this is the OK MARS ?
Interesting boat. Is your hatch going in the bow, or behind the seat? Do you have the 6" cockpit hatch?
http://www.oceankayak.com/mars.html
Adding a hatch
Don’t know why you’d want to stow a spare paddle in a hatch. Seems that if you needed it you’d need it PDQ.
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I installed a hatch in my OT Otter a couple years ago as I needed to use the space behind the seat to stow my lunch as I was loading up fore and aft decks and the cockpit with trash during river cleanup runs.
The 6" flush-mounting hatch, S/S screws and marine sealant was acquired at a local marine supply store for about $15.00. Using a drill and saber saw it took me less than an hour it install the hatch.
adding a hatch…
Check out www.kayakfishingstuff.com.
do a search and you’ll find a lot of info on adding hatches for fishing gear.
Good Luck
hatch…
thanks for the input everyone… much appreciated. 1st… no i don’t have the 6 inch hatch already. 2nd the transducer is for a depth/fish finder… i use this boat as a fishing machine, in bays along the texas coast. i’m checking out those websites as soon as i finish here. again thanks.