Outback with extremely tight round hatches

The round hatches on my 2013 Outback have always been very hard to open and close. When I mentioned it to one of the employees of my dealer he said that yes, they can sometimes be pretty stiff and left it at that. Having never used them before I just lived with it.

I just got my 2015 TI and WOW! The difference between the hatches is night and day! The TI hatches are effortless to open and close. So now I *know* something is wrong with the Outback.

I got some silicone lubricant and gave the Outback hatches a little TLC, that made a fair bit of difference but they are still pretty stiff, especially the one in front of the seat. The gaskets are in the proper location and seem to be fine, although the one on the front hatch had gotten pinched and rolled a bit at some point in time. Just to be sure it wasn't the gasket I swapped them front to rear and the front hatch is still very tight while the rear hatch is "okay" - reasonably easy to open, but still not nearly as easy as the TI hatches.

Any suggestions? It appears both should use the same hatch, were there any design changes between then and now? I'd love to get the Outback hatches working as smoothly as the TI.

My 2013 Outback is the same, and the spray silicone was a little help . Mostly it is the last little bit that i have to force down by hand. One thing for sure no water is getting passed it.

I don't understand why Hobie still install black hatches, as the sun put out of shape them.

The reason I bought for my new Outback white hatches:

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François - French Hobie fishing team - Outback 2019 papaya
ex: Revo 13 2007 - PA 14 2008 - PA 12 2009 - Outback 2011/2013/2015 - Compass 2017

Felvic, do you just mean they get stuck when out in the sun, or does the sun gradually affect them over time so they no longer work smoothly? I think I recall my Outback hatches being worse in a hot sun, but they're generally very tight even sitting in the garage in the cold.

I think for now I may try swapping the entire hatch between front and back, as my rear hatch is fairly usable. I've just about quit using the front hatch (right in front of the seat) as it's incredibly tight. I may not get any water in it but I may as well not have it either...

Worst case, I may just buy a couple new ones.

Regular use of silicone spray is the answer. There is nothing wrong with the hatches themselves. The o rings can be replaced if needed. It is also normal for the lid to sit slightly askew if you only use the lever to screw closed. Simply tap with the palm of your hand to close flat... it is only a cosmetic issue and no worry.

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Matt Miller
Former - Director of Parts and Accessory Sales
Warranty and Technical Support
Hobie Cat USA
(Retired 11/7/2022)

The sun probably put them out of shape, so they don't close so easy as first day.

Silicone spray helps, but the problem goes on...

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François - French Hobie fishing team - Outback 2019 papaya
ex: Revo 13 2007 - PA 14 2008 - PA 12 2009 - Outback 2011/2013/2015 - Compass 2017

white plastics tend to yellow over time when exposed to UV...

Perfect, so it looks better with dune color...

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François - French Hobie fishing team - Outback 2019 papaya
ex: Revo 13 2007 - PA 14 2008 - PA 12 2009 - Outback 2011/2013/2015 - Compass 2017

hahaha... that's looking at a glass half full!