It has occurred to me that it would be possible to add equipment/camping hatches fore and aft in a SOF kayak. (Aft may be more useful) In keeping with traditional methods a bit, the coaming of the hatch can be just like the cockpit coaming, with a cover made of neoprene held in place with shock cord, or tied; just like the spray skirt, but smaller.

If this is done forward, it may cause spray to hit the face everytime a wave washes over the kayak. In rougher conditions, superimposing a hard hatch on top of the neoprene may be required.

Fact is, this sort of arrangement could be used instead of commercial rubber hatches on just about any of our homecrafted boats. If you have made a neoprene spray skirt, making a hatch would be a breeze.

Has anyone done this?