8" hatch on the P15?

I came across this article on kayakfishingstuff.com: http://www.kayakfishingstuff.com/articles_view.asp?Kayak_Articles=26

I was wondering if anybody has actually installed an 8" hatch between their legs on their Prowler and if it has worked out for them? I ask because it might be nice to have a slightly larger hatch and also because the 8" hatch is $20 cheaper than the 6" hatch.

DON'T DO IT! The P15 that I paddle now has a center hatch and when a "heavy weight" (250lbs) like myself sits on there....the water flows on top of the center hatch and it seeps into the hull  I don't even know why they put a hatch on there in the first place - it's so low and clearly too close to the water line

The other thing about those hatches is that when a little bit of sand goes in there, it's almost impossible to unscrew to open  DON'T DO IT 

Thanks Mooch! With that warning in mind, I doub't I'll install even the 6" hatch!

Here is a small hatch ( 4" on the inside ) of my P15.

http://www.norcalkayakanglers.com/index.php?topic=8643.0

Gave me access to the rear of the kayak to install my river anchor system and makes it a LOT easier to clean the inside of the kayak.

Thanks for the link. I like that idea, I'll have to keep that in mind as a way to store the little things that would be a pain to lose, like wallet and keys 

DON'T DO IT! The P15 that I paddle now has a center hatch and when a "heavy weight" (250lbs) like myself sits on there....the water flows on top of the center hatch and it seeps into the hull  I don't even know why they put a hatch on there in the first place - it's so low and clearly too close to the water line

Mooch, I thought one of the features in the new P15 (Trident) was the addition of a center hatch.

DON'T DO IT! The P15 that I paddle now has a center hatch and when a "heavy weight" (250lbs) like myself sits on there....the water flows on top of the center hatch and it seeps into the hull  I don't even know why they put a hatch on there in the first place - it's so low and clearly too close to the water line

Mooch, I thought one of the features in the new P15 (Trident) was the addition of a center hatch.

Yes, but from what I heard - it's not gonna sit low to the water line (like it currently is).

Fishin-Jay,

First off:  Hey!!! Cool name!

Any way, I've defied conventional and Mooch wisdom myself and went ahead and installed a center hatch in my P-15.  It wasn't an 8" though, and it wasn't the 6" twist type that would actually fit that spot.  Instead I used a different 6" hatch, the one with a twist-T cover.  You can find them here at a price that I think will be hard to beat:

http://topkayaker.net/TopKayakerShop/index.php?main_page=advanced_search_result&search_in_description=1&keyword=hatch&sort=20a&page=2&zenid=8dca6cc26f503a8e40159f511bc02a16

I really don't like the normal twist top type for just exactly the reason that Mooch sites.  If you do ever get one of those types stuck shut, then you should try your pliers to get it open... open the pliers handle and then stick the two handle ends into the finger holes and then maybe use a stick to get leverage on the pliers.

This hatch that I'm refering you to is too big by probably just about 1/4".  I had to make a spacer plate out of a plastic cutting board to get it to stabilize.  I'll e-mail you some pictures if it turns out to matter to you.

I absolutely feel like I get a good enough seal with the rubber "O" ring to hold out nearly all leaks.  But then I don't carry a down sleeping bag or 10 lbs of flour inside my yak either.  I say "feel like" cause I haven't done any experiments on just THAT hatch to see yet.  I took a trip down the John Day River in east Oregon a week ago and it (that newly installed hatch) rode just above the water line most of the time with me (right at 200 #) and about 120# of gear.  It would get just below the water line once I took on enough water inside the yak.  We were going through rapids that totally FILLED the cockpit for about a full minute at a time (seemed more like about a half hour) but I honestly think that the 1" of water at the bottom of the hull by the end of each day came in through the front hatch.  It totalled less than two full gallons but it would all pool at either the front or back and then make that end sink about 1" lower in the water.  And I think that the rapids just LIFTED that front hatch and sprayed right on in, which wouldn't be the same as if it POURED right on in which I don't think it ever did.  There's only so tight that you can ever hold that hatch down, cause it is just plastic after all.

I also did the install that Tote is talking about at the rear.  It was Tote's previous thread that gave me that idea by the way.  Thanks Tote, I really like that 4" rear  hatch too.

A short aside:  I don't recommend taking a P-15 down a fairly fast rough river.  I made it okay with only just a couple of near spills each day, but at 15' it's too long for fast moving river water.  You can't turn fast to move cross ways to avoid rocks.  And if you DO turn, now you've got maybe a 6' exposure of the side of your boat (think of the hypotenuse of a triangle) to hang on the submerged rocks instead of the 28" or so if you go straight.  Plus, now you're already sideways if you DO hit a rock and it's way WAY tough to keep from rolling it when the down river side rides up on that rock.  Loads of laughs though, if nobody gets hurt... and nobody did this time.  Next time I'm taking my F-n-D "barge" down that river.  I loaned it to another floater and he did great!

Fishin-T

I also did the install that Tote is talking about at the rear.  It was Tote's previous thread that gave me that idea by the way.  Thanks Tote, I really like that 4" rear  hatch too.

Glad to help out a fellow yak fisherman.
Tote

I finally found a pic (from the Hook1 site) of a Prowler with a raised center hatch.....if you look close enough, you'll see the modification....

DON'T DO IT! The P15 that I paddle now has a center hatch and when a "heavy weight" (250lbs) like myself sits on there....the water flows on top of the center hatch and it seeps into the hull  I don't even know why they put a hatch on there in the first place - it's so low and clearly too close to the water line

The other thing about those hatches is that when a little bit of sand goes in there, it's almost impossible to unscrew to open  DON'T DO IT 

I had the 6" center hatch installed in my Caper and have never had a problem with it. It's not raised and doesn't even have an O-ring. I used to weigh 215lbs, too. Sometimes in bad chop I've looked down and seen the whole hatch covered with water, but there's never more than a few cups of water in my yak. (Except for one time when there was like two gallons, but that water came through my pole holder.)

Maybe the P15 flexes different than the Caper, but if I end up with a P15 I'm gonna put that center hatch on it. It's a great place to store snacks, tackle, or water bottles.

I have the 6" stock center hatch on my P15.  Except for how difficult it is to open and close, even with silicone lube... I've had no problems with it.  I am pushing 190...(Geeze can't believe that!!)

Allen