Hobie round hatch ?????

Just curious, are you launching out of the SC harbor or doing surf launches?  I would imagine frequent surf launches where ton of sand gets in there would make it shred faster.  I rinse out my gasket each trip and slap 303 on it or it will piss me off the next trip, but it usually has bunch of sand on it.

That's a good point---all of my launch/landings have been easy ones. Fine sand might be a problem, but I bet if you open it and wipe off the grit, the tape would still last quite a while.

Anyways, I used to hate the Hobie round hatches with a passion, and now they are A-OK by me...

I use armoral on the seal, few times a year to keep her lubed up!

+1
I do the same and not just at the o-ring/hatch. I armor all the the whole boat at least twice a year to keep all those sun baking and saltwater affects away.
You would want to use a brush to clean those sands out asap so they don't damage the rubber seals.

I use formula 303 after every session.only thing I ever use is some gasket grease on the o ring,very minimal

I was having trouble closing the round hatch in front of the seat.  With my drysuit gasket repair kit I had a pouch of Formula 303 swabs and wiped down the O ring.  It works! I'm not certain for how long but it allowed me to completely close the hatch. 

Uh, don't mean to highjack this thread but what is Formula 303 for?

303 is a protectant/conditioner for rubber and plastic: https://www.goldeagle.com/product/303-aerospace-protectant/ I wipe the wrist gaskets on my dry suit with it after every use. It definitely helps for the round hatch O ring, but the effects are short-lived.

I tried the PTFE tape trick suggested by nowhereman. My first attempt I think I wrapped the tape on too thick and too tight and had trouble closing the hatch. On the second try I overlapped the tape minimally while still getting complete coverage, and so far it is working well.  I’ll try to post how it stands up to surf lunches and continued use.

I tried the PTFE tape trick suggested by nowhereman. My first attempt I think I wrapped the tape on too thick and too tight and had trouble closing the hatch. On the second try I overlapped the tape minimally while still getting complete coverage, and so far it is working well.  I’ll try to post how it stands up to surf lunches and continued use.

Glad to hear that you're giving this a try, and I'll be interested to see how it holds up under more challenging launch conditions.

303 is a protectant/conditioner for rubber and plastic: https://www.goldeagle.com/product/303-aerospace-protectant/ I wipe the wrist gaskets on my dry suit with it after every use. It definitely helps for the round hatch O ring, but the effects are short-lived.

I tried the PTFE tape trick suggested by nowhereman. My first attempt I think I wrapped the tape on too thick and too tight and had trouble closing the hatch. On the second try I overlapped the tape minimally while still getting complete coverage, and so far it is working well.  I’ll try to post how it stands up to surf lunches and continued use.

KPD, thanks for the reply.  I'll try the teflon tape next if the effects of the 303 wear out.