: I am considering using some nylon straps with buckles to hold down the
: hatches on my kayak. I have raised hatches with nylon loops on each side
: along the sheer line. Does anyone know of a good source for straps with
: appropriate buckles. Also I would like opinions on using straps as apposed
: to shock, or bungee, cord (the positives and negatives of each). I am more
: interested in utility...though something that looks good would be nice.
: Naw...I don't want to tie it down with venitian blind cord.....

Personally I haven't found a system I am really happy with yet.

Webbing works pretty well, but can be awkward, and when you spend all the time to make a nice wooden boat, putting plastic buckles on it seems like a shame.

Shock cord works very well, but again plastic pad eyes are sort of unfortunate on a wood boat. Wood pad eyes work well and look nice, but I have gotten into the flush-hardware thing. It is hard to make a practical hook which is also flush.

The Leidy-Lid solution is slick, but I really don't like having shock cords running through the storage space inside the hatch.

Jay Babina's screw-down dog works great, but I personally don't like the knob sticking up.

Rob Macks' magnet idea is very slick. He seems to have worked out the corrosion problem. But they still make me nervous. Magnetic forces decrease with distance. This means that if something should start to knock the hatch loose it will tend to keep on going. I think Rob probably has enough magnets to hold in most situations, but I have had my boat be knocked pretty hard going out over surf. Magnets don't like shocks. While a leash will keep you from losing the cover, getting a hatch full of wave could ruin your day. I would like something a little more bomb proof.

My default system is shock-cord with plastic padeyes and hooks. It is easy and reliable and probably the most practical. Wood padeyes and hooks are my next step up. If I want to go with flush fittings I am currently going with webbing and buckles.

I am currently thinking there might be some combination of magnets and straps which would look good and be very bomb-proof, but I still haven't quite figured it out.