Revo 13 - cooler ideas inside front hatch?

I find accessing the front hatch really inconvenient while on the water. I'm fine with the Revo's stability, but don't think it would be much fun to kneel in it to reach up front and legs over the side and sliding forward is a problem when the gunwales are loaded with fish finders, rod holders, downriggers etc. Maybe I'm just short (I am), but I don't bother with the front hatch on the water.

Cheers,
Brad

I find accessing the front hatch really inconvenient while on the water. I'm fine with the Revo's stability, but don't think it would be much fun to kneel in it to reach up front and legs over the side and sliding forward is a problem when the gunwales are loaded with fish finders, rod holders, downriggers etc. Maybe I'm just short (I am), but I don't bother with the front hatch on the water.

Cheers,
Brad

Hmm, I've never been accused of being tall, and I haven't had any trouble with using the front hatch on my Revo unless the sail is up. I straddle the kayak, and the just kind of belly-flop forward onto the pedals, and my legs rotate on the gunwales instead of sliding forward. It's about as elegant as it sounds, but it works, kind of. Helps if you can do the splits.

Edit: definitely wouldn't work with thedownrigger in place though.

I find accessing the front hatch really inconvenient while on the water. I'm fine with the Revo's stability, but don't think it would be much fun to kneel in it to reach up front and legs over the side and sliding forward is a problem when the gunwales are loaded with fish finders, rod holders, downriggers etc. Maybe I'm just short (I am), but I don't bother with the front hatch on the water.
Cheers, Brad

When getting into the front hatch of my Revolution, I straddle the cockpit and slide as far forward as the Mirage Drive and the fishing gear mounted on its gunwales permit.  I don't like doing it.  It feels kind of sketchy.  And a risk of opening the front hatch of a fishing kayak when you're on the water is that if you tip over or get hit by a big wave while you're doing it, you can fill up the kayak with water. If you store fish in the front hatch of your kayak, you (hopefully) will need to open the hatch a number of times during each day of fishing.  It's safer to store fish in a cooler mounted outside the hull of the kayak.

A useful and easy addition to a sit-on-top kayak is a cord for pulling the front hatch shut.  See https://www.northwestkayakanglers.com/index.php?topic=20858.msg219669#msg219669.

I find accessing the front hatch really inconvenient while on the water. I'm fine with the Revo's stability, but don't think it would be much fun to kneel in it to reach up front and legs over the side and sliding forward is a problem when the gunwales are loaded with fish finders, rod holders, downriggers etc. Maybe I'm just short (I am), but I don't bother with the front hatch on the water.
Cheers, Brad

When getting into the front hatch of my Revolution, I straddle the cockpit and slide as far forward as the Mirage Drive and the fishing gear mounted on its gunwales permit.  I don't like doing it.  It feels kind of sketchy.  And a risk of opening the front hatch of a fishing kayak when you're on the water is that if you tip over or get hit by a big wave while you're doing it, you can fill up the kayak with water. If you store fish in the front hatch of your kayak, you (hopefully) will need to open the hatch a number of times during each day of fishing.  It's safer to store fish in a cooler mounted outside the hull of the kayak.

A useful and easy addition to a sit-on-top kayak is a cord for pulling the front hatch shut.  See https://www.northwestkayakanglers.com/index.php?topic=20858.msg219669#msg219669.

The pull cord is really good beta. Didn't think of that. I will definitely employ this if i figure out the fish-in-hatch situation. As far as safety is concerned, are you saying it's safer to have a bag on the deck as opposed to inside because if you capsize with the hatch open you'd take on water?

As far as accessing the bow, I ususally just do the legs-in-the-water-butt-scoot toward the front and it feels really stable and safe. I have to pop out my drive but its leashed so no biggy.

The pull cord is really good beta

It is. Are you a climber? Because I've never heard anyone but climbers use "beta" as a synonym for information.

As far as safety is concerned, are you saying it's safer to have a bag on the deck as opposed to inside because if you capsize with the hatch open you'd take on water?

I think that strapping a soft-sided or hard sided cooler in the rear cargo area or elsewhere on a sit-on-top kayak is safer than putting fish in the front cargo area (a) because crawling forward to load fish in the front hatch is awkward and puts you in a narrower and less stable portion of the kayak, and (b) because if you tip over or get hit by a big wave while the front hatch is open, you could fill up your kayak with water.

I’ve got a clear cockpit to re-enter if I flip but from the mesh pockets forward I have gear on the gunwales - rods holders, fish finders etc. that really limit movement. if it’s salmon season then I also have a downrigger mounted in the cup holder - there’s really no room to straddle and kneeling in the middle isn’t really an option unless on a flat lake. As pmmpete notes flipping with the hatch open is a really bad idea. I’d look for a topside solution. But yeres to having the problem of catching fish and finding a place to store them- rockfish opens tomorrow! Hope to see your setup on the water soon!
Cheers,
Brad

It just occurred to me that I usually have my sail on, which means I usually have my amas on, which means that stability usually isn't an issue. So yeah, if you don't have amas, bellyflopping over the pedals to reach the front hatch out on the ocean is probably not a great solution. Anyway, I've never noticed any degradation in quality from the burlap sack plus frozen water bottles solution. So I guess I'll just butt out now.

I cull my catch on a game hook then move it to a $7 Keep Cool bag from Costco, lined with a thick trash compactor bag and a few frozen water bottles under the trash bag. I usually head to shore grab a frosty beverage (or two) from cooler bag A & toss my catch in cooler bag B once it stops bleeding. Stays cold all day, easy to clean & cheap to replace. Fits fish up to 36”. I don’t fish the salt on my revo though. Even opening the front hatch on the delta with boats zooming by makes me nervous. It’s like they want to flip you.