sealing extreme front hatch
 

has anyone found a better material to seal the front hatch on an extreme. last week i tried to launch thru a crap load of waves and my yak filled. at first i thought it was cool that the extreme punches thru instead of over waves

What hatch do you have? The regular one or the Gator hatch? I had the same problem and I noticed that when I started using the Gator hatch it wasnt as bad. I still get water inside when I punch through the waves but not nearly as bad.

-Matt

I had an brand new extreme with a leaky hatch, as well. I solved the
problem by buying a Trident. :D

the one thing that sold me on the extreme is the large front hatch. lots of storage space. great for stowing your rods when need to. love the fishing platform! a little leak, no problem!

seal it with marine goop. the double sided tape does not adhere to the plastic very well. I had the same problem and ran a strip of marine goop along the rubber gasket and it sealed pretty well. You might need a set of plastic gloves so that you can run your fingers through the goop to make a decent seal. Worked for me and I hope it works for you cause the alternative is to buy the trident like Dave said and thats kind of a pricey fix. haha.

The gator hatch with straps on each of the four corners does allow you to tighten it much easier for a good seal. The front hatch has to be really tight to not let water in as it is put under pressure submerged in that crashing wave. doubling up the gasket with weatherstripping has worked for some with issues and the bead of goop worked for my first Extreme.

I used Taco 5/8" neoprene weather seal. They have it in 10' rolls at West Marine
http://ecatalog.westmarine.com/full....ckProdId=36410

This weather seal has an adhesive backing, but it doesn't stick to the hatch material very well. A little Goop will help keep it in place.

I get a lot less water coming through the hatch with this arrangement.

Really? :)

It's good to hear at least from someone that Trident hatches seal well. :D


I carry the pump and a sponge on my eX. I do get the water through the front hatch when punching through the surf or even in a nastier chop. I just use the sponge to get it out. I'll trade some water inside for that big hatch to stove my rods and a big fish - any time.

My buddy Jasmin has an eX. He put the duck tape all over his front hatch (he's not using it, he doesn't care). It works like a charm.

Other than that - tighten the straps, have sponge and pump on board. :)

I used garage door weather stripping that goes on the bottom of the garage door. It's flat and wide, maybe about 3 inches wide. I picked it up at Home Depot for around $10. Glued it on with Goop and it does a good job.
:coffee:

Here's the deal with the Trident. Thru the surf the hatches are NO better than the extreme. Granted you will get thru the surf faster and better with the Trident than an eXtreme.

The front hatch on the eX is a pig, I think Doug has it...add more gasket material and keep the straps snug.


BTW Wavster, I'm adding a better gasket to the Trident, the current gasket design fucking sucks thru the surf. I'll post pics when I'm done. OK should have sturck with the tried and true double gasket design - that's what happens when freshwater chicks design a yak lol

Also, try to put as much weight in the back and not the front. That'll help the nose submarine at least a little bit less.

with my 250 lb ass in the driver seat i'd have to put a :elefant: in the back

Way; that's my line!:D

All I know is I have NEVER accidentally tripped the eject button on my
Extreme while engaging a :yt::evil:lol

Funny manlol lol lol lol

lollollol



Art: I've put extra gasket material on the Trident, as well. I'd like to see what you come up with after you put it together.

eXtreme front hatch leakage
 

You might try, in addition to (or in lieu of) the standard rubber trim, section(s) of thin armaflex-type pipe insulation, split lengthwise on one side, slid over the kayak side of the opening, and held in place with "goop". Get the narrowest you can and experiment with it first before you "goop" it in place. This way you will have two gaskets working for you... :idea:

I don't have any pics of Grego's ride...but I know he added a bunch of extra straps to his Extreme hatch...I think his front hatch seal is tighter than a YT butt. :rolleyes:

My trident hatches seal very well. you just need to do the nessesary Modifications that ive been setting guys up with.

As for a new eXtreme seal. We always siliconed the hatches when i had my malibus. You could replace the gasket with trimlok like Ocean uses though. I have the kits here at AYS.