Re: [Paddlewise] waterproofing leaking hatch covers

From: <tfj4_at_attbi.com>

> I have thought about but never tried gluing a thin stip of minicell around
> the rim or a thin patch of minicell on the underside of the patch, as a kind
> of gasket.

I did something like this on my Solstice rear hatch.  There was a bit of 
leakage, so I bought some neoprene weather stipping from a hardware store.
It was 1/8 inch thick and about 3/4 inch wide.  I put it on the bottom
of the groove where the hatch seal sits.  This has proved to be quite
successful.  I would suggest trying a similar approach with the soft
cover, but place the neoprene strip along the underside and side of
the hatch rim on the plastic kayak.  A fiberglass kayak would be trickier
due to the fine edge on the hatch rim - I'd imaging that there'd be more
wear on the neoprene strip.

I put a drawing of my kayak's rear hatch and a proposed positioning of
a neoprene strip on a plastic kayak here:

http://members.rogers.com/michaeldaly2/hatchFix.htm

Mike


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