: 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

Ross has moved
his new link is posted below