Taping the hatch

[paulfromtulsa]

Is it necessary to tape the hatch? Do these boats take on a lot of water ? Thanks

[TraxxasTuesdays]

I haven't and probably never will. They really only get water in them if you stuff them or run them in very rough water. The only sealing I've done is seal the two holes in the rear on the deck by the transom. They are useless IMO, and if you need to use reverse, water will pour into the hull through those holes

[hog]

I tape mine all the time on all my boats, old habits die hard.

If you flip or stuff the boat it won't fill with water (or significantly reduced amount) and it helps to keep the hatch from being ejected during a hard crash.

Not a necessity perhaps, but in my opinion, a recommended practice.

hog

NOTE: I have also removed the rear tabs off the hatch, this makes it much easier to seal the rear of the hatch with tape.

[MCinab]

Hog,

I was going to remove those tabs as well as they seem to do more harm than good...did you just dremel them down so that they are flush with the rear?

[hog]

I filled them with fiberglass first, some others have filled them with silicone.

Then I just sanded them off until flush. A Dremel or other method could easily be used as well.

I'm not certain that filling them in is necessary, but I did it just to help fill in the gap. Taping over should seal them up well enough, but at the time I was thinking every little bit helps.

Removing the tabs does not prevent the hatch ejecting during a serious blow over, but I believe it eliminates the possibility of the tabs catching the water in a blow over and ripping the hatch off, which could result in significant damage

Taping the hatch definitely helps keep the hatch secure.

hog

[humayrayakongkinaon]

i did'nt do nothing to mine but tape the 2 holes and with a car door seal, only have a couple of rain drops inside the hull.