A couple weeks ago I helped somebody put a rubber hatch cover on a Perception kayak and remembered that we did this video a few years back when I worked for Pyranha. Good technique for any tight fitting oval kayak hatch.

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Pyranha (and P&H and Venture) mold the hatch rims of their kayaks directly into the plastic of the boat rather than bolting on a separate rim. Several other manufacturers do this as well. Molding in hatch rims makes for a much drier kayak, but variation in plastic shrink rates can make it tough to seal up the hatch covers. Especially in cold weather.

The trick in this video works great and helps you enjoy the benefits of dry storage compartments without cursing tight fitting hatch covers.

I believe the HT goes to Ben Lawry for developing this technique.

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