: Can someone tell me some info on minimum/max/factors/paramenters to consider
: for hatch size on a high volume boat?
: Thanks,
: Joe

realy, you can o to almost any size. as a maxumum, you can remove the netire deck and paddle the thing as an open canoe -- but that is a bit excessive

You want it big enough to get your gear in. That may sound a bit too simple, but there are plenty of people who can't fit their kayak carts, or backpack frames inside their kayaks 'cause the hatch is too small. What's that old carpenter's rule? Measure twice, cut once.

You don't want to go past the sheer chine -- and going from the sheer on the left to the sheer on the right is about as wide as you can go -- unless you have some way of reinforcing the hull to makeup for the large expanse of material removed from the deck. Remeber that when you cut a big hole, like that for the cockpit, you add the coaming, which stiffens and strengthens things. If you go for a huge hatch cutout, you should try to do the same thing for stiffening. this can be under the deck, of course, and hidden by the hatch.

A few people have built large boats with "hatches" that were the size of cockpits. this allowed them to turn a double into a triple, or to allow a paddler to sit in the center of a double and paddle it solo. I guess if you mount a permanent seat in it then it becomes a cockpit and not a hatch, otherwise it can e dual purpose.

PGJ

Your plans may leave this up to you, so have fun with whatever you decide.