Older Necky Looksha Sport

My friend just bought 2 used 14’ Necky Looksha Sports.



The previous owner did not know much about them as he was selling them for a family member but, thought they might be the 2000 model.



My friend would like to add hatches and bulkheads but one of the potential hatch openings appear to by oval and the other a tear-drop shape.



Do any of you know what sort of aftermarket hatch cover might fit the tear-drop shape and a way to install a bulkhead?



Any info on this model Looksha is appreciated…

Gasket / Cover
That vintage used a neoprene gasket, rather like a mini cockpit cover and a hard cover of the same hull plastic, strapped over the neoprene. The neoprene gasket is probably searchable via bing or google. The hard cover you might be out of luck on as that was a separately molded piece so you will need to get creative in fabricating your own.



See you on the water,

Marshall

The River Connection, Inc.

Hyde Park, NY

www.the-river-connection.com

hudsonriverpaddler.org

I have a Looksha Sport that came with
only a rear bulkhead and hatch. I purchased a front hatch kit and installed it without difficulty. Rather than using a front bulkhead, I use a large float bag tied in to the front of the footpedal rails. If I want to carry gear, I have some tapered slide closure Voyageur gear bags which have inflation tubes. Obviously the front hatch serves to access those things.



Necky may no longer have the hatch kits. You can act like it’s a big ww kayak and shove inflating gear bags forward or back from the center cockpit. You might actually find that the boat packs faster that way. Voyageur-Harmony no longer offers tapered inflating gear bags. Watershed makes their Futa bag, and I believe Prijon offers a tapered gear bag.



Heavy as I am, I pretty much load the Looksha Sport too much to get serious overnight gear in it. I think of it as a day tripper.

Looksha hatches and
Thank you both. For others… keep replies coming, every bit helps.

Neoprene Gaskets
Snap Dragon can make those for you & reaonably. They keep patterns for lots of boats, even those out of production. For the hard hatch covers… lotsa luck.

Hatch kits
http://www.sealectdesigns.com/products/deck_plates_hatches



Bulkhead - get some minicell, cut appropriate shape, use marine sealant to secure. Or, you could mold FG bulkhead, but it is more work, still need sealant to secure it.

Foam
Let me know if you need a 12"x48"x3.75" block of foam. Have an extra hanging out here that could use a better purpose than looking large in the outfitting section of the Showroom.



See you on the water,

Marshall

The River Connection, Inc.

Hyde Park, NY

www.the-river-connection.com

hudsonriverpaddler.org

It’s possible to make hard covers with
glass and epoxy, but it isn’t easy for those who haven’t done that sort of thing.

Are your used Sports poly or
composite? The suggestion to use a generic hatch kit will not work with the poly Looksha Sports, because the molding for the intended hatch will prevent installation of a generic aftermarket hatch.

Best to leave as is…
Like others have said float bags up front, or cargo/float bags up front. It’s not hard to pack a tapered bag and shove it up front. Necky, like other manufacturers took bits and pieces and made new models. You could call them and get a poly cover in granite that would fit. Trace the outer edge of the raised hatch area and send it to them for good measure.



In the factory the hatch area is routed out with a simple router and offset. This is how the cockpit was opened up. This leaves a curved lip that accepts a neoprene gasket which Necky will have. Later models had molded in inserts to accept hardware but you will want to get from Necky or other source (4) inch-worm hold downs and associated stainless fasteners, nuts, and 0-rings. These are for the straps which hold the cover down snug over the neo gasket. You’ll need to locate best spots for hold downs, mark, drill, and mount those. In days of long ago Necky used cord, but because folk can’t tie knots, quick release buckled straps were employed. Either are an option with the hold down inch-worms. So, with an opened up center, neo gasket, and hard cover, and straps / cord, you’ll have a hatch. Secured snugly these were pretty darn water tight. Over time the neo gaskets need replacing. They outsourced to China for awhile and they sucked but might be better now. Or as others have said call Snap Draggon. He did a lot for Necky early on.



Bulkhead. This is how they do it in the factory: Laterally they used two pieces of foam; a softer mini cell about3/4" thick glued around a denser bulkheads edges. This conformed better and made a good seal. Either way. You need to find location desired and trace outside profile. Silver wire works well. Wrap, form, twist tight, gently remove by sliding off, trace with offset for wall thickness if you’re anal, and shape to fine tune fit. Once happy with fit, locate it, and mark with sharpie both edges all around. Remove, sand between edges, carefully torch the area sanded. Apply a good quality contact cement to this area as well as bulkhead edges. BEFORE it gets too tacky quickly slide bulkhead into place. Wipe area around if needed. Once dry apply a nice bead of Lexcel around the edges front and back side. A tongue depresser works well. Let cure, and re-seal over years as a routine maintenance measure.



Would I mess with the above on this little boat? NO.



Go paddling and do as others here have suggested. Less weight, fewer holes in boat, etc. Call Necky for parts if you choose to go for it. It’s not difficult.



Hope this helps