Rod Pod / O.K. Trident Prowler 13 angler

Just wondering if there's a fix out there for sealing the rod pod hatch? The fit and seal really leave alot to be desired. I would like to be able to make it watertight if possible.

Short of making your own lid like I did, good luck.  I tried adding another strap lengthwise to the factory lid and that didn't work.  So I tried more foam stick on seal tape, and that didn't work.  Resulted in just fabbing up a completely new on from scratch out of fiberglass.

http://www.northwestkayakanglers.com/index.php/topic,3259.0.html

Thanks for the reply. Guess that I might have to do as you did.. make my own. To bad O.K. has not addressed the issue.

An upgrade was supposed to be forthcoming.  Let me check on status.

-Allen

You mean my cnc'd 1" thick expanded foam pvc solution?  Erm.... well, never was permitted access to the equipment.  I was supposed to go back to work around that time, but unfortunately I much too thoroughly trained my fill-in and he became a replacement.  At almost 10 years younger than me, he also cost them a lot less.  They also opted to just farm out the more advanced stuff I would do regularly and hand over the extra cost to the customers.     I still have the plans at home, but nothing with which to machine it, and no pile of material sitting around.

I might make one on the CNC mill this summer at work.  Not sure what to make it out of?
4mm Okume plywood then fibreglass it, with a molded lip(fibreglass) for a better fit.
HDPE and then machine the lip in with a seal.
1/4" 6061 Aluminum with a lip machined in for a seal.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Closed-cell_PVC_foamboard

Good general link for expanded foam pvc above, and Sintra is the brand name used to reference the material, though to be honest most shops get it cheaper from other manufacturers. (Laird Plastics in Seattle may sell it to you without an account set up) You can use just about any endmill you want to cut it, and can do so very, very rapidly.   I used to drive a 74"x124" AXYZ table and this was a material we used to make thick dimensional letters out of.  Comes in lots of colors, but the thick stuff is usually only in white or black.  I would suggest you call around the high end sign shops in your area and see if they can sell you a scrap piece that will work.  I'm currently nowhere near my notes or home computer, so I can't share the .dxf file I've got for my idea of how to do this project.  My machine had a tool changer and I had planned on rounding everything off and having it almost complete right off the table.  There is even a trick to keep the cut piece wedged into the sheet by the chips so that it can be flipped and cut on both sides  

48-206h*  from  http://www.hartlauer-bits.com/HartlauerBitsList.pdf  (specially manufactured for Hartlauer specifically for cutting 1" foam pvc.  Can be safely cut in 2 passes (though in my old notes I had it dialed in for one pass, and at around 400ipm if I recall correctly (please test, I used to allow enough heat to keep the chips slightly sticking). It definitely breaks the "rules" on chipload and cutting depth/diameter, but it's not a problem.  The  straight v-flute actually keeps the chips in the cut so that you dont' have a big ugly mess.  If you have any questions, the guys at Hartlauer are specialists in signage machining and are very helpful and knowledgeable.)

~edit~
expanded foam pvc floats... and at an inch thick, will be plenty rigid.  just need to round off corners and make channels for straps to ride in.  another key was to oversize a groove for the lip of the pod walls and recess it into the sheet by at least .5 inch, and line the groove with weather stripping in order to get a good seal and non-flexing cover.  would it be easy to open?  dunno.

Just wondering if there's a fix out there for sealing the rod pod hatch? The fit and seal really leave alot to be desired. I would like to be able to make it watertight if possible.

I 1" wide weatherstripping.  It helped.  I also used the tip of adding a bungee hold-down for the sonar shield and rod pod lids for faster/easier access.  Still need to button up with the rod pod straps for launch and landing and poor conditions, but for when it's a nice day or on a lake the bungee hold down is great.  Here is the thread.

http://www.northwestkayakanglers.com/index.php/topic,2306.0.html