A "Whiskey" hatch is essentially a glove compartment for your kayak. Its a little storage compartment in front of your cockpit that can hold things like some snacks, cell phone, VHF radio or whatever you want to keep dry but close at hand. These plans provide a means to install a whiskey hatch on any home-built kayak or even on your existing commercially made kayak.
Integrated into the storage system is a recessed mounting point for a navigating compass. A compass is a key piece of navigation equipment if you are doing longer trips, paddle in environments that get foggy or any time you are not in your local paddling area. The compass is mounted close enough that old eyes can still see it while still being close to your line of sight as you are paddling.
This design is adaptable to various deck shapes with a system of rings that you sand to fit the underside of the front deck of your kayak.
The hatch uses a standard 6" or 15cm rubber hatch cover and ring available from several sources online. The compass recess fits the commonly seen on sea kayaks 70P compass made by Silva and sold under various names. It is stocked by many sea kayaking outfitters.
Why it's called a "whiskey hatch"
The term comes from the traditional sea-kayaking idea of carrying a small bottle of whiskey for a post-paddle drink. It's more of a bit of paddling culture and humor than a technical classification but we are running with it.
This design provides good clearance for your knees getting in and out of the cockpit, and leaves enough room for your feet along the side, yet it actually will hold quite a bit of stuff, maybe even a bit of whiskey.
The instructions are the video below:
Video
- $35.00
