Hatch Storage/Retrieval Schemes ?

I have been using zip-lock plastic bags, but they always seem to take on water and shift around in the hull so what I want is seldom readily accessible on dry land - much less on the water.

So far, I come up with 2 possibilities:

• Drill little holes in the rim around the hatch and attach mesh bags by strings with some sort of quick-release connector in each string.
  .
• Bond Velcro hook to the recessed squares in the hatch cover and then do the mesh bag/string thing, but with little mushroom-shaped dongles tipped with Velcro pile. No quick-connectors... just yank on the string to pull the Velcro apart.

Different-colored strings, of course....

Or maybe webbing instead of strings to mitigate entanglement.

Mesh bags to avoid trying to fool Mother Nature: just let stuff get wet and leave it on the deck in the sun every so often to dry out.

What have Greater Minds come up with?

_________________
2015 AI in "Dune" - "The Grey Pig"
2017 Trailex 450 Trailer
Pre-September 2015 cradles
(anybody want to buy a slightly-used AI SpinKit?)
eMail: [email protected]

I've also had poor luck with zip-loc baggies keeping the water out. I've had improved luck using double lock freezer bags which are made of tougher and thicker material and some brands have a double zip-loc seal configuration.

To keep the bag(s) from migrating around inside the hull, I like your idea of using a mesh bag.

My notion is to place the individual zip-loc bags into a larger mesh bag that is affixed to something that won't move, via a single landyard. That would keep the zip-locs together, keep it better organized inside the hatch and also help protect the plastic zip-loc bags and contents.

I find that squeezing the air out of the zip-locs helps keep the seal, sealed.

On extended trips, I've been know to not use zip-loc bag. A better configuration is to use vacuum and heat sealed freezer bags, for stuff I don't need right away and that I really want to have stay dry. That includes some cash, batteries, my driver's licence, end of the trip food, etc.

What other ideas or expereince are out there to address this topic?

You've not tried the Hobie GearBuckets?



Or you can drill a small hole in the inner rim of the 8" hatch and thread a zip tie through it. Attach a biner to this, then hook on the dry bag or mesh bag of your choice. It won't migrate far.

Also a waist-style dry bag can be attached just behind the kayak seats.

_________________
The Wind Is Your Friend...

I have several of the deep gear buckets - and two developed a split in the side wall very shortly after I bought them! They also occasionally fall off the lip and into the hull at the most inopportune time... I do like them, though, and use them to quickly stash things like wallet and keys.

For my repair / spare parts kit I have a Plano waterproof box (has clips on all three non-hinge sides) that I put everything in. I then drilled a hole in the flange around one of the clips to attach a leash. The leash is long enough I don't have to disconnect it to work with the kit in my lap, but I also have a D-ring connecting the leash to a small ring hooked in the lip of the hatch for quick removal if needed. (There are a few holes there already, think they are where Hobie was hanging the spare rudder pins in the rear hatch.)

The gear bucket looks like it's for small stuff - and I'm thinking bigger things and more of them. .... For instance I don't see 50' of 8mm line fitting in a gear bucket.... Nor neo mittens, neo hood, and a windbreaker....

I like that for three reasons:

• El-cheapo 'biners are..... well.... cheap...
  .
• The 'biner becomes the quick disconnect.
  .
• The zip tie acts like a shear pin...... One concern I had with attaching leashes directly to little holes in the hatch rim was that, when Stuff Starts To Happen, I can imagine accidentally putting a very high load on one of the lines and maybe breaking the rim of the hatch. .... The zip tie would just part, saving the hatch.

I feel myself coming around to your zip ties/'biners plus TomtHouse's heavier ziploc bags combined into a few mesh bags shaped so as to go though the hatch conveniently.

_________________
2015 AI in "Dune" - "The Grey Pig"
2017 Trailex 450 Trailer
Pre-September 2015 cradles
(anybody want to buy a slightly-used AI SpinKit?)
eMail: [email protected]

I have been using the square containers from Sam's Club that pickles, nuts, cheese, or whatever are sold in. They stay sealed, are big enough to hold rudder pins, a multi tool, zip ties, a spare shirt, etc. and don't roll around in the hull, especially when velcro'ed into place (soft side on the hobie, hooks on the container).

The important/valuable items, like sleeping bag, pillow, go into a real dry-bag in the bow. I use an AquaPac bag for my phone. A couple of years ago, the phone fell overboard (wasn't tied on), and the phone survived for 2 hours, they have a customer for life, although I do have to by a new bag every 2 years or so.

Yep, Pete is right, mesh just holds the water in, and zip-locs will keep items wet even longer than mesh.

We keep our keys and wallets in dry boxes attached to a string then tied to one of the two holes in the 8 inch twist and stow hatches. We have been doing that for years in all our Hobies. When I buy the boat I just buy 2-3 of those dry boxes at walmart and attach them in the boat ( one in each round hatch) for the life of the boat.
Seems to work fine.
FE

On my 2015 TI, I use the Hobie deep gear boxes. In addition, the hatch rim already has holes in it to accept zip ties for loops. I add a zip tie with a loop and use stainless or aluminum clips to clip other dry boxes, anchor, bilge pump.. The zip tie loop does not interfere with the hatch or gear boxes.
That being said, I hate opening any of the hatches while I am offshore, including the front hatch, it makes me nervous. I try to keep everything topside for a standard day on the water.

I use Kayaking Bob's clever idea of hanging snap hooks on 2mm cord tied to the holes around the rim of the hatch. Larger items get tethered to these hooks.

But the very best solution was to buy a large soft plastic circular "carry bag", cutting it off about 4 inches above the base. I then roll it up and stuff it down the hatch. After it is unrolled, I have a dry tub about 24 inches across, so things stay reachable and dry.

_________________
Tony Stott
2012 Tandem Island "SIC EM" with Hobie spinnaker

I have gone with Kayaking Bob's idea - using the same female snap connectors I have on the deck for securing stuff like water bottles, paddle, and so-forth.

That way I can elect to secure a given bag or other item either inside the hull or out on deck just by plugging in it's male snap connector into a different female connector.

For the bags, I cut up and re-sewed a couple of old Windsurfing sail bags - that are half mesh/half nylon, and have zipper closures at the end. .... They are pliable and the right size/shape to stuff easily in-and-out through the hatch.... Warm weather is about here in SE Pennsyslvania USA... so we will see how well this works in Real Life.

The "soft plastic circular 'carry bag'" ref went over my head.

_________________
2015 AI in "Dune" - "The Grey Pig"
2017 Trailex 450 Trailer
Pre-September 2015 cradles
(anybody want to buy a slightly-used AI SpinKit?)
eMail: [email protected]

I love the carry bag idea.



Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

Do you have a link to the type of bag that you are talking about? I haven't seen anything like this, but I can picture it in my head, and it "looks" like a good solution for keeping the more bulky items from sliding up and down the hull.

_________________
-- Chad | 2014 TI

It took a few hours of searching, but found a photo on a Kmart website

called a 42l flexible tub. It even has molded lateral rings to guide you when you cut it down

_________________
Tony Stott
2012 Tandem Island "SIC EM" with Hobie spinnaker

Awesome, thanks for searching! That's exactly what I was thinking it would be. It looks perfect to put in the back hatch and keep stuff from sliding all over the hull.

If anybody else is interested, I did a quick search on Amazon for "flexible tub" and found these:
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss? ... exible+tub

I even found a "pre-cut" one!
http://www.amazon.com/Tubtrugs-SP35BL-9 ... 17TQQ8R2H3

_________________
-- Chad | 2014 TI

More common names for these are 'trugs' and also commonly found on equestrian sites (especially the smaller ones. Hope this helps people searching for them - what a fantastic idea. We always take a couple camping and they're great for just chucking in the back of vehicle and stopping stuff rolling around.

_________________
2015 Tandem Island - Golden Papaya "HALIBOO"
(retired) Outback - Hibiscus Red