Hobie round hatch ?????

Get a tube of di-electric grease from Autozone, or walmart. Clean the o-ring with some water and apply around
the edges. That should solve the problem. I've had the same problem years ago but this seem to have fixed it.

hmm...everything on my kayak can either be fixed with di-eletric grease, corrosion-x or duct tape. LOL. 

Problem is the area around that hatch becomes warped so it doesn’t fit flush. The hatch lid itself can also become deformed or warped, and not fit well.

The problem is that Hobie uses asymmetrical O-rings which have a ridge on one side, and the rings always twist, which makes the hatches hard to close and causes them to leak and jam.  It's very irritating.  Hobie owners have been complaining about these asymmetrical O-rings for years.  Hobie ought to quit using the asymmetrical O-rings and use round O-rings. 

I regularly clean off the rim of the hatch, and then spray some silicone lubricant on the rim.  This lets the hatch close more easily and keeps it from jamming part of the way open, but doesn't prevent the leakage caused by the twisted gasket.

The problem is that Hobie uses asymmetrical O-rings which have a ridge on one side, and the rings always twist, which makes the hatches hard to close and causes them to leak and jam.  It's very irritating.  Hobie owners have been complaining about these asymmetrical O-rings for years.  Hobie ought to quit using the asymmetrical O-rings and use round O-rings. 

I regularly clean off the rim of the hatch, and then spray some silicone lubricant on the rim.  This lets the hatch close more easily and keeps it from jamming part of the way open, but doesn't prevent the leakage caused by the twisted gasket.

This topic has been discussed a lot on the Hobie forum. As for leakage, I suspect pmmpete is correct---if the o-ring gets twisted, it'll leak more. But, wrt the stickage issue, I have to agree with Hobie. I can have the o-ring perfectly aligned, and it'll still stick like it's made out of bubble gum, so alignment is not the problem. Some people claim to have had less sticking with symmetric o-rings, but I suspect that just because they are narrower, and as a result they're probably getting more water leaking. I think it's a poor design, with no good solution...

Here's an off-the-wall idea that seems to be working. Out of desperations, I wrapped the rubber gasket with PTFE plumbers tape:

https://www.homedepot.com/p/1-2-in-x-260-in-PTFE-Tape-0178502/202280370

I figured I'd be lucky if I could open the hatch 3 or 4 times before the tape was shredded, but it's actually holding up well so far. The tape has been on there for several trips, and it's still like new, in spite of many open/close cycles per trip. It's definitely lasted longer than anything else I've tried. Best of all, the hatch opens and closes easily, with no leakage. I'll post again when/if it shreds, so you'll have some idea how long it might actually last in practice.

Grease and replace the o-rings often.  They are cheap.

Mine is original from 2006, still works.  They must of changed who makes them.

My Revo is 8 years old and the hatch works great as long as I put a little silicone grease on it occasionally.  The sand does tend to stick to it but it's easily wiped off.  I use Trident pure silicone grease #LP20.  I get it from Amazon.

My plumbers tape solution is still going strong. I can’t believe it holds up as well as it does. So far, so good.

My plumbers tape solution is still going strong. I can’t believe it holds up as well as it does. So far, so good.

What's the latest report on the PTFE tape? I'm thinking of trying your solution. I seem to recall there is a thicker PTFE tape made for gas lines or something that might be worth a try.

My plumbers tape solution is still going strong. I can’t believe it holds up as well as it does. So far, so good.

What's the latest report on the PTFE tape? I'm thinking of trying your solution. I seem to recall there is a thicker PTFE tape made for gas lines or something that might be worth a try.

Still working great. I open and close the center hatch all the time, both on the water and off. I used the wider white tape (designed for water, not gas), so less wraps needed. The yellow tape is narrow and a lot thicker (did a whole bunch of propane piping last year...), but not sure if that would be better, as it might make for too tight of a fit.

If you do give it a try, let me know how it works out.

Thanks!  I will let you know if I try the yellow tape.

I replaced the gasket o-ring and put grease on it however still notice a lot of water gets inside the hull. Not sure if its the rudder line that water is getting through or not.

I'll try the tape as well. I don't use the rear hatch anymore so I don't open and close it. maybe I should weld it shut but would like to open it in case I need to reach inside the hull to tighten a bolt though.

My plumbers tape solution is still going strong. I can’t believe it holds up as well as it does. So far, so good.

What's the latest report on the PTFE tape? I'm thinking of trying your solution. I seem to recall there is a thicker PTFE tape made for gas lines or something that might be worth a try.

Still working great. I open and close the center hatch all the time, both on the water and off. I used the wider white tape (designed for water, not gas), so less wraps needed. The yellow tape is narrow and a lot thicker (did a whole bunch of propane piping last year...), but not sure if that would be better, as it might make for too tight of a fit.

If you do give it a try, let me know how it works out.

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.

I replaced the gasket o-ring and put grease on it however still notice a lot of water gets inside the hull. Not sure if its the rudder line that water is getting through or not.

I'll try the tape as well. I don't use the rear hatch anymore so I don't open and close it. maybe I should weld it shut but would like to open it in case I need to reach inside the hull to tighten a bolt though.

I would bet that most of the water getting into your yak isn't from the round hatches.  I use the hobie tub in my yak center round hatch and barely notice water inside of it after some wet days.  I'm almost certain most of it is coming through the front hatch and possibly the random holes like rudder lines, rudder control, etc. 

I replaced the gasket o-ring and put grease on it however still notice a lot of water gets inside the hull. Not sure if its the rudder line that water is getting through or not.

I'll try the tape as well. I don't use the rear hatch anymore so I don't open and close it. maybe I should weld it shut but would like to open it in case I need to reach inside the hull to tighten a bolt though.

I would bet that most of the water getting into your yak isn't from the round hatches.  I use the hobie tub in my yak center round hatch and barely notice water inside of it after some wet days.  I'm almost certain most of it is coming through the front hatch and possibly the random holes like rudder lines, rudder control, etc.

well with my new setup and going 5 mph or higher, the rear of the hatch gets a lot of water going over it. I can't see a lot of water going through the rudder lines since I'm moving forward and water is being pushed back. I might be wrong since the rudder line do get submerged when accelerating. I added addition weather striping to the front hatch. I confirm no water is going through it by putting a gopro inside and using the garden hose to check for any leaks. I did the same thing in the back and don't see any water going through.

So maybe it is the rudder line? Might have to try the Vaseline trick.