Should I wait for the Outback hatch before I upgrade?

I had my first trip out with my Compass (camo with the 180 drive). This is my first Kayak. It was awesome....but after doing a little fishing from it, I realized now that upgrading the round hatch to the rectangular one is my first priority! I have read some other posts that mention the new Outback hatch that is positioned differently than the current rectangular hatch.

1. Would there be an advantage to the front to back orientation over the current side to side?
2. Should I just do the upgrade now, or wait until the Outback hatch becomes available?


Thanks for any advice! Any other suggestions would also be appreciated since I am a newbie to kayaking and the Compass!!

I emailed hobie support asking if there are any future plans to sell the same vertical hatch that comes on the 2019 Outback as I wanted to install this on my 2018 Compass. I was told that "The rectangle hatches only fit across on a Compass – the Outback has a different shape cockpit so that it fits vertically."

I'm interested to hear if this is actually true and if the vertical hatch will ever be sold.