accessing the front hatch on open water....

Chuck and I have been talking about storing rods in the front hatch of the kayak when the landing conditions are tough (Linda Mar / Bean Hollow). Are any of you, besides Chuck, able to store your rods down your hatch on your own? Just curious  

I tried doing this in calm water (Lake Del Valle) and was successful. I definitely don't have the nerve to do it on the ocean.

on a side note:

I saw that the new line of Malibu Kayaks (extreme?) has a storage hatch behind the seat and is very accessible compared to the other yaks in the market.

Malibu X-Factor has the hatch behind the seat.  Great idea/feature.  That thing is huge, though.  I doubt I could car top it by myself.

I car top my X-Factor by myself.  Yakima has a great "extender" bar that helps.  I also cartop my Triple by myself, but that's more of an exercise in grunting.

-Allen

I also car top my x-factor myself.  I just put a piece of pool noodle on the door and use that as an extender bar.  The rear hatch is very accessable from the seat.

I just put a piece of pool noodle on the door and use that as an extender bar

GREAT idea Travis !!

Sean gave me the idea actually. Just make sure your door is strong.  I wouldn' t try it on a Geo Metro or a Ford Festiva.

Please note Allan is one big dude! I have used the triple this week and it is tough for us little guys.

Though it takes a lot of maneuvering, I always store my rods in the front hatch of my Prowler for surf launches and landings. It saves the reels from the extra bit of grit in the salty surge.
Once out on the water, I maneuver up on the front of my boat, reach down inside, and slide them back out. The trick is throwing both legs over the sides. This gives you the extra bit of balance necessary to climb up front and pull your rods out.

It is a breeze on an x-factor, but also easy on any of the MK boats with the big front hatch.  Like Brendan said, both legs over the side and shimmy up.

Travis-What kind of dig do you have, the color of your boat looks whacky in the pics!

What kind of dig do you have, the color of your boat looks whacky in the pics!

 A whack cheap one.

I did it everytime I did a surf launch down south.

I have a drifter and I can scootch up to the hatch pretty easy.

MolBasser

I can get into my drifter front hatch pretty easilly too, I keep my sea anchor in there and usually have to scoot up and bust it out later in the day.  I think I've put a rod down there solo, but not sure.  Usually I trust in my landing ability, haven't wiped out w/ gear in nearly 2 years.  A couple hours of practice (w/o gear) a couple times a year is good enough to keep you sharp.  The key is to practice to the point where the surf gets ya, then you know your limits and can recognize defcon 4 surf when you're coming in.  (defcon 5 I swap the vest for pfd and stow my hat/glasses too!)

Joel,
Remember last year at Linda Mar, when you and Eric GTO19 went out into the white squall while the rest of us watched in awe?

Well, it was still a big steep swell when the rest of us went out and the same when I went in solo.  It was the first time I stuffed my rod in the hatch on the water, and I chose a wicked day to do it.  

Well, after the fact, it wasn't that all that bad, but mid way, my heart was thumpin.
I pointed the yak into the swell, straddled it, stayed low and layed forward to unbuckle the Prowler.   I've done it about 4 or 5 times since and its about the same, even in flat calm water.  I'd reccomend you buddy up and stuff each other's gear.  Much safer all around.

PS, VERY, VERY glad I chose to stuff the rod just before landing.  I got rolled by a wave and dog paddled in, tail between my legs!!  Good thing the fish were leashed and I left the FF, crate, etc in the truck.

Stuart

my main concern was the chance of flipping the yak with an open hatch - that can lead to a "sayonara"  

I guess having a bildge pump would be good to have (a cheap super soaker would be a cheaper alternative) especially if you travel far. Some pool noodles below the deck would be good to have - to keep the yak afloat while your in the water cussing away  

Even with a hatch open, the kayak is not going to sink if you roll it.  It would take an extraordinary event to sink a kayak.  If your rods are stowed they won't fall out if you roll with an open hatch unless they are 4' trout rods.

Practice on calm days in shallow water if your nervous.

MolBasser