Finding the Right Hatch Covers for Valley Avocet RM Kayak
Recently, I purchased a Valley Avocet plastic kayak, but it didn’t come with any hatch covers. The original hatch covers broke into pieces, so I had to find replacements. After three weeks of searching, I finally found hatch covers that seem fit well.
Where to Find Hatch Covers for Valley Kayak
For oval hatch covers:
- Valley Original Std. Oval from kayak academy at $88.95
- Kajak Sport Std. Oval from kayak academy at $88.95
- Sea-Lect VCP Oval from Amazon at $84.95
- Teror Hatch Cover from Amazon at $39.99
For round hatch covers:
- Valley Original 8” Std. Round from kayak academy at $44
- Kajak Sport 8” Std. Round from kayak academy at $44
- Sea-Lect 8” Round from Amazon at $42.95
- Huthbrother round hatch cover from Amazon at $23.99
Round Day Hatch Covers
The round day hatch cover is easy to find, and even my NDK Pilgrim’s day hatch cover fits the Avocet’s day hatch. I purchased the Huthbrother round hatch cover from Amazon, and it fits well.
The Challenge with Oval Hatch Covers
The problem lies with the oval hatch covers for the bow and stern hatches. All my following reviews and content will focus on the oval hatches.
I measured the hatch openings and surprisingly found that the bow hatch and stern hatch have different sizes. The bow hatch is slightly longer and narrower, while the stern hatch is wider.
Teror Hatch Cover from Amazon
I first ordered the cheaper option, the Teror Hatch Cover from Amazon. It fits the bow hatch pretty well, but unfortunately, it’s slightly too narrow for the stern hatch. When you push it down, you can feel air coming out of the stern hatch, causing it to leak. However, it works fine for the bow hatch. So, I now have two cheap options from Amazon that work for the bow and day hatch, and I only need to find a good hatch cover for the stern hatch.
Kajak Sport Hatch Covers
Kajak Sport hatch covers are the same price as Valley Original hatch covers, but they seem to last longer based on online reviews. However, I was disappointed to find that they are too small to fit the Valley Avocet plastic kayak.
Both my husband and I had difficulties pressing the Kajak Sport Oval hatch cover to fit on the hatch.
https://youtu.be/8Ol4zhVZUuY
Valley Original Hatch Cover
At this point, I was very disappointed because I had spent a lot of money and time trying to find hatch covers. So, I decided to order both Sea-Lect and Valley Original hatch covers. I know Valley Original hatch cover will fit, but I’ve heard they tend to degrade quickly (within 3-4 years). Who wants to spend $220 on hatch covers every 3 years for their boat? I have been trying to find alternative options.
The Valley Original hatch cover I got from Kayak Academy came in not very good condition; you can see that the Valley logo has started degraded.
There are two tether points on the hatch covers, but it’s better not to directly tie the strap around the small plastic stick. Instead, it’s more reliable to tie the cord around the hatch and inside the tether points.
Regarding the fit, the Valley Original hatch covers fit the bow hatch very well, creating a tight seal, primarily due to the second seal. However, the Valley Original hatch cover doesn’t fit the bow hatch as smoothly; it’s slightly too wide to fit easily. But with some effort and using a stick to push it down firmly, it should be alright, though this method may put some pressure on the shape.
Sea-Lect Hatch cover
The Sea-Lect hatch cover fits the stern hatch quite well, though not as tightly as the Valley Original one. However, for the bow hatch, the Sea-Lect hatch cover is slightly too wide and short, resulting in an imperfect fit. I heard some people mention that the Sea-Lect cover may also leak water on the stern hatch.
Summary
After trying various options, I finally found hatch covers that seem to fit okay for all hatches. I haven’t tested them on the water yet, so I’ll update on their performance later.
When looking for hatch covers, I care about:
- Making sure they fit well.
- Keeping water from leaking inside the kayak.
- Easily attaching and securing them to the boat.
- Considering the price and how long they’ll last without breaking.
Additionally, I learned that different boats have specific hatch cover requirements, and the requirements may vary between fiberglass and rm boats.
More photos: https://photos.app.goo.gl/RC66nshxTc6e5Uc59
Updates After Testing on the Water
After some water testing, here are the updates on the hatch covers:
Initial Testing:
After 2 rolls and 1 back deck scramble rescue
- Bow hatch: Teror Hatch Cover from Amazon
- Leaked about 1L of water. Returned.
- Stern hatch: Sea-Lect Hatch cover
- Leaked about 200ml of water.
- Day hatch: Huthbrother round hatch cover
- Remained completely dry.
Extended Testing:
After subjecting the kayak to more rigorous testing: flip boat 10 times and push boat down into water for 30 second several times while I was standing in the water.
- Bow hatch: Valley Original Hatch Cover
- Remained completely dry, no leaks.
- Stern hatch: Sea-Lect Hatch cover
- Leaked about 500ml of water.
- Day hatch: Huthbrother round hatch cover
- Remained completely dry, no leaks.
Conclusion: Based on the testing results, the Valley Original Hatch Cover proved to be the most effective in preventing leaks. If I had known this earlier, I would have ordered the Valley Original Hatch Cover for all three hatches (bow, stern, and day hatches) from the beginning.
