: This newbie continues to seek help!

: 1. Can anyone give me a good size for oval hatches, front and back, length
: and width

: 2. I still am not sure where to place the front hatch; ie, distance from the
: front end of cockpit to rear point of hatch, assuming the installation of
: footbraces and an average height kayaker. I'm 5'9" but other taller
: and shorter family will use the kayak.

: 3. I think I have a handle on the oceankayak hatch lip, but I'm not sure what
: the dimension of the sacrificial foam is supposed to be. I went to Lowe's
: yesterday and could not find any 1/8" foam stripping. And does he
: mean 1/8 by 1/8?

: I'd love to work on this today if there are any takers!

Last question first. The foam seal for One Ocean's hatch rim, you use 1/8" foam (thickness) to mold the lip, then use double that thickness for the gasket so the foam can compress to make a seal. The big box stores often have a very limited selection of weatherstripping, so you need to go to other stores, big hardware types to find what you're looking for. Oh yeah, I think I used 1/8" thick by 3/8" wide (not sure about the width, and the yak's not where I can get at it right now to measure it).

Hatch size depends on what you'll really use the hatches for. If you will be camping from the boat you'll need bigger hatches than if you're only making day trips. The bigger the hatch the harder it is to seal (in general) so smaller hatches are often favored.

Normally you position the hatch fairly close to the biggest bulkhead that it's near since the yak is wider there, but you do need enough room for the hatch lip to be built and not interfere with the bulkhead installation.

Bill H.