Crappy weather

and crappy weather means Dio might be on the water.

And I was. Yard work at my place does NOT happen when its raining,,,

and I figured out sometihing else about Lyssa. Not while out I didn’t, but on the return home. Figured I would rechcck all the hatches again, since it was pissing down rain on me (I stayed out until the sky started gettin’ all grumbly).

Fore and Aft hatches had some standing water, day hatch was dry. The only real difference between them is the lid: I cut the lower rim off the Day hatch lid since it was kinda chewed up.

and while I was checking is when I think I figured out what is going on. There was a bit of water standing in the hatch depression and I was hanging onto the boat while standing in the door of Buffalo: chest and arm in full contact with the bow. As I put the lid back on, I noted bubbles coming from under that lid edge. My body was heating the compartment up ‘just enough’ to raise the pressue inside and that was forcing air out. If it can ‘exhale’ it can ‘ inhale’ as well. Cold water splashing across a hot deck will cool the air inside and she inhales whatever is standing in that depression: usually water.

Leaks, actual LEAKY leaks are fixed, those damnable hatch covers though,,, I could buy new and see if that ‘cures’ the problem

OR

I just invest that same money into more drybags (the cheaper option and more versatile one.)

and that is something I have been meaning to do since I bought Lizzy. Don’t need them so much in BlueJean since her hatches always come home bone dry, no matter what the conditions are like. (I think those neoprene covers flex enough to let the pressure change very slowly, but the physics are the same; pressures change, materials (air or water) will move to fill the difference. the covers flex like diaphragms allowing the change to happen at a more sedate pace.) The reason IMO the day hatch cover didn’t’ leak is that the lid rim is now well above that standing water point.

But Kayaking is a wet sport and we plan on things getting wet (or at least how to keep them from getting wet, even when everything else is flat soaked through, like ME) my only concern with those hatchs pulling in water is HOW MUCH? if its a lot (like cold weather and splashy topsy-turvy conditons) I would need to be aware I was taking on water and occasionally empty it out. If its a cupful a day in most cases, no big deal, just dry the danged thing out between paddles and keep the ‘needs to be dry’ stuff in dry bags, opening ends up. What was in there when I checked cleaned out with a single papertowel for each hatch. That ain’t much: to whit, I am really not all that concerned about it, just observatin’ and taking account for the what-ifs.