Whats a good hatch tape?

[sailr]

Walmart has clear electrical tape in the automotive section.

[thetoyman]

cheap electricle tape works good for me

[sailr]

works fine for sport boats but when you get over 50mph, you need good tape! It will NOT hold up in a violent flip!

[ron1950]

that hockey tape will take the clearcoat right off your boat lol. never had a problem with the proboat tape ...easy to apply and get off

[T.S.Davis]

Maybe you have to lose some equipment to crappy tape. Sort of a right of passage thing.

I've retrieved race boats where the hatch is gone, the cells were hanging from the speedo that was hanging from the motor which was the only thing bolted in.

Good hockey tape can pull the clear off. Notice I said "can" and not "will". Cheap tape "can" cost you a boat or the equipment in it. Not absolutely will just can. I "can" fix the finish on my boat. haha

[chummer]

I "can" fix the finish on my boat. haha

Notice how you said "can" and not will.

[keithbradley]

works fine for sport boats but when you get over 50mph, you need good tape! It will NOT hold up in a violent flip!

I have came to the conclusion that tape alone is not good enough at high speeds. Hatches that are taped up and seem like they could never come off still can in high speed crashes. Its happened to me a few times now, and it took me a while to finally figure out whats going on.

In a violent high speed crash, if the boat hits hard enough, it pushes on the glass hard and fast, and creates a shock wave of air that has to escape the boat. When the boat is sealed, it ends up "burping" out the hatch when it hits, which causes a small seperation between the tape and hull. Once this happens the tape is no longer really holding on, and off comes the hatch.

If you've ever had this happen to you, you will notice that if the tape stays on one part of the boat, it will always be on the hatch, never the hull. The reason is the force that knocks it off is air pressure from inside the boat pushing up on the hatch and seperating the tape. If you look at your boat you will see what I mean and why it does this.

The reason Im saying this is because most think the force of the water knocks the hatch of from the outside (This is what I used to think), but thats not what usually happens. It helps to know so youre not fighting the wrong problem.

[sailr]

Interesting! Makes sense. Regarding hockey tape pulling the clear off the boat. Not usually if you let your clear coat cure at least a couple of weeks before taping up. Or, if you prep the boat right before you clear coat!

I have came to the conclusion that tape alone is not good enough at high speeds. Hatches that are taped up and seem like they could never come off still can in high speed crashes. Its happened to me a few times now, and it took me a while to finally figure out whats going on.

In a violent high speed crash, if the boat hits hard enough, it pushes on the glass hard and fast, and creates a shock wave of air that has to escape the boat. When the boat is sealed, it ends up "burping" out the hatch when it hits, which causes a small seperation between the tape and hull. Once this happens the tape is no longer really holding on, and off comes the hatch.

If you've ever had this happen to you, you will notice that if the tape stays on one part of the boat, it will always be on the hatch, never the hull. The reason is the force that knocks it off is air pressure from inside the boat pushing up on the hatch and seperating the tape. If you look at your boat you will see what I mean and why it does this.

The reason Im saying this is because most think the force of the water knocks the hatch of from the outside (This is what I used to think), but thats not what usually happens. It helps to know so youre not fighting the wrong problem.

[TheShaughnessy]

I have came to the conclusion that tape alone is not good enough at high speeds. Hatches that are taped up and seem like they could never come off still can in high speed crashes. Its happened to me a few times now, and it took me a while to finally figure out whats going on.

In a violent high speed crash, if the boat hits hard enough, it pushes on the glass hard and fast, and creates a shock wave of air that has to escape the boat. When the boat is sealed, it ends up "burping" out the hatch when it hits, which causes a small seperation between the tape and hull. Once this happens the tape is no longer really holding on, and off comes the hatch.

If you've ever had this happen to you, you will notice that if the tape stays on one part of the boat, it will always be on the hatch, never the hull. The reason is the force that knocks it off is air pressure from inside the boat pushing up on the hatch and seperating the tape. If you look at your boat you will see what I mean and why it does this.

The reason Im saying this is because most think the force of the water knocks the hatch of from the outside (This is what I used to think), but thats not what usually happens. It helps to know so youre not fighting the wrong problem.

I concur. I used to use the cheap 59 cent roll of black electrical, but as many have said once you get past the 40/50 mph mark that stuff isn't going to hold. My most recent use of the black electrical resulted in me losing my hatch, which is back ordered till early may. I like the clear hockey tape the best. The stuff steve sells here on ose works well and i have found clear hockey tape at Big 5 that i like. I have also used the proboat stuff. The hockey tape seems like it more tacky and sticks to the hull better. I haven't had problems with it peeling the paint.

Electrical tape is a little easier to bend around the round stuff, but i have noticed this is the first place it will peel from too. The extra tension from being stretched and bent seem to make the tape fail once it get a little wet. I won't use electrical tape any more because i don't like the results, not to mention it looks ugly.

[martin]

I simply will not rely on any form of tape holding the hatch on, Its their purly to keep the water out. All of my hatches use secure fixings which are also 100% water tight in the event of a flip. I cringe when i see friends taping up their fe boats with no form of holding the hatch on other than tape, Ecspecially when they open the boat up at the lake in between runs & then retape with the boat still being slightly wet or cold. Ive seen to many hatches torn off when just taped & boats sink, The force of hitting water is tremendous. You dont have to be doing 50+mph to tear hatches of, Ive seen then come off a number of times at around 30-35mph. I also clean before putting tape on with alchohol cleaner & have no problems with tape coming off where its stretched around curves. Martin.

[iamandrew]

think of the hatch more of a crumple zone for your boat .. :D
I recently bought some of the metal hatch latch locks, but unfortunaly they are too big. does anyone have links to smaller ones? the genesis needs one that I can fit into the rear of the deck

[T.S.Davis]

Notice how you said "can" and not will.

bahaha I wondered if anyone would catch that.

The tape can be unforgiving. I've had it rip wood off of boats that I used cheap epoxy on. Lesson learned there.

In a truly violent crash you need it all. At least plan for it. Tape, latches, straps, foam. It's when you get up into the 60's that it gets hard to predict what might happen.