> Has anyone ever heard, or think it is possible, to have a non-flush hatch
> cover, held down by webbing, ripped off by a crashing wave catching under
> whatever rim exists between foam and hatch cover. I never considered this
> until I tried to launch in some surf and had some padeyes which were
> epoxied to underside of deck get ripped off when a wave broke into cockpit
> and caught on the object that the padeyes were holding in place. As a
> result, I am considering the possibility of epoxying a splash guard to
> deck around the rim of the hatch cover to deflect any such wave. As it now
> stands, my hatches are held down by 4 screws into sheer clamps (which hold
> the webbing in place).

> Dave

Hi, Dave -

I recall an article (Sea Kayaker?) a while back about someone who died while crossing the Chesapeake Bay (in winter, alone) and their front hatch cover blew off and subsequently he took on too much water. I think its really important to have a second security system. We epoxy a piece of wood to the underside of the hatchcover and another piece inside the boat. We use nylon webbing, attached to each piece, with one of those fasteners like on drybags (can't think of the name now) so that they can easily be unfastened when removing the hatchcover. Our theory is that is somehow the bungee or straps break while at sea, or driving down the road, the hatch cover will still be secured.

Judy