screw hatch,sand,kayaks

Posted by LeeG on Mar 26, 2005

Feedback from experience opening and closing a 4" Beckson hatch on the deck of a fiberglass sea kayak. Kayaks are often around sand. Kayaks around sand and waves often leave their owner tumbling to shore. Even kayaks in sheltered flat water might collect fine sand/mud in use and when emptied out. Or maybe your grandson puts sand in the kayak. Sand and dirt abounds when you're low to the ground. Especially in a cockpit. Try moving a yakima footbrace stuck with sand. 1.sand To seal a screw-in Beckson hatch it needs to be tightened down enough to touch/compress the tiny gasket. If it's loose it'll leak a little. If (?) sand gets in the threads it's harder to screw in. If sand is in the threads it's harder to unscrew. In order to have it seal against the little gasket you have to tighten it down a bit harder than it is to start screwing it. 2. sand in threads Once you do this a few times the hatch binds up before it seats or it's VERY hard to unscrew. Which leads one to do two things. Not screw it in (unlikely). Not unscrew it(likely). One day your hands will be cold and stiff and the 4"Beckson hatch will not unscrew. WILL NOT. So being the bright primate you are you'll use a tool. Like a stick,,or a leatherman. And it will open eventually. Or not. The 4" Beckson hatch on my fiberglass Express hit the did not stage one day at the beach when my hands were cold and the tools slipped and slid around the gel coat. 3. Hatch is no longer used. Entropy wins in the end.

WHICH! is why you'll see larger Beckson hatches on the flat decks of Betsy Bay kayaks that are not of the screw in variety but of the push in variety with a locking lever around the edges. Oh so low tech. Like a kayak.

In Response to: Re: hatch vs drain hole by LeeG on Mar 26, 2005

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