Good Morning Arko,

Nice looking woodwork. I have been thinking a good deal about hatches I have put in my own boats. On my first wood boat, i put in what has become known as "Leidy Lids" flush hatches like yours, except they are held down by bungee cords internal to the boat.

A reference to the Leidy Lid can be found here:

http://ross.secant.com/kayak/home.htm

The site did not come up just now for me, I hope it is still functional!

I read several posts (mainly by Shawn Baker and also by Mike and Rikki) about how strong the hatches need to be for rough water kayaking. Shawn's post mentioned how it was important to be able to have a 200 pound guy pull himself up on either end of the boat and work his way down the boat while sitting upright (A cowboy reentry) I thought about the hatch lips I had put in the Great Auk and decided I did not want to put my full 200 pounds on my hands, on the hatch and push down to lift myself.

This was mainly because I made an error in building those hatch lips. I made them of two layers of 1/4 inch plywood. The top layer is just as big as the hatch opening. the bottom layer is about 3/4 of an inch smaller. It was designed to be able to place a nice thick layer of foam tape on the inner lip and still be flush.

Well, when I built up the two layers, I held them together with hot glue for temporary holding power. By the time I got around to using some epoxy to seal them in place, I had forgotten the hot glue was the only thing holding the layers together. I let as much epoxy seep into the crack as I could, but I am sure the two mating surfaces are not completely covered. It is plenty strong to keep the hatch in place, but it was not until I read Shawn's post that I realized that my hatch would most likely fail if I sat on the deck and just pushed down on the hatch with all my weight. The fact is, I am not sure the plywood would not come unlaminated with such a force even if the epoxy did not. (The rims are about an inch wide under the deck.)

I also learned a good lesson from the Leidy site: Always make sure the lid is attached to the boat with a cord. This is important for being in the water and for transportation. On my way to the Atarondacks last summer, I was carrying the Great Auk on the top of my truck when I heard a clunk. It was the bow hatch hitting the top of the cab. With the cord keeping the hatch there, it was no big deal to just snap it back on. I have read at least one account on these pages where someone had to make a new hatch, for want of such a little cord.

As I look at your pretty woodwork, I must wonder about both these topics. Both the idea of strength to be able to sit on the hatch and a cord to keep it attached. I would never be directive to another builder, but you may want to think on both those topics some lazy Sunday afternoon with your feet up watching the game....

But, first things first, have fun, and paddle the new creation.

Rick