New Hatch...Malibu Kayaks
 

Great new hatch design from Malibu Kayaks....

http://www.malibukayaks.com/Art/New_Hatch.jpg

will it fit old xfactor hatches as a replacement?

I'd buy one if it did! Good question

I talked to the guys at Malibu Kayaks today and when I asked if that hatch could be retrofitted onto an existing xfactor, extreme etc... they said it wouldn't be "ideal" but definitely could be done!! I will post up how my retrofit goes when I get that new style hatch and will post some pics of the retro-fitting, I don't think it'll be a problem at all!

I have an X 13 and a Stealth 14 with these new hatches in the store. I would imagine the frame is the same, although instead of the 24 rivets there are 14 thru bolts, so new holes would need to be drilled.

I like this hatch, it may take some maintenance to keep it operating smoothly, time will tell. I really like that it has an o ring on the frame and a gasket on the hatch. The hinge will make it much easier to grab something from below as well as one key to turn.

no big deal on th emaintainance...
on the Hobie hatches I use Aquaseal silicone spray
on the hinges, seals, and lock to keep them
operating smoothly...
no big deal...
it works great for keeping the rudder smooth as well

Yeah, but these are for kayaks....we use our hands and fingers to open them, not our feet and toes :biggrinjester: