Outfitting the tandem kayak, Part 9: Making the neoprene hatch covers, continued

Okay... my attention has been divided among many different things lately, but I'm still inching along on this boat-outfitting project.  When we last visited the project back on April 19, I had started making the neoprene hatch covers, and was unsatisfied with the first set I had made.  I had made them by folding the neoprene into a hem over the shock cord and gluing it in place.  They just seemed too bulky to me.

The type of sprayskirt I have always preferred is the kind that has the shock cord sewn onto the neoprene, like these skirts pictured here that I use with my slalom C-1, and I decided I wanted to make my hatch covers that way.  I found this web page with instructions for making a skirt in this fashion.

Following these instructions, I cut out two pieces of MDF in the shape of the hatch rim.

I cut a length of shock cord to fit the hatch rim and closed the loop with a stainless steel clip.  I bought both the shock cord and a dozen clips from Sweet Composites.  I also often buy shock cord here in Memphis from Outdoors, Inc., but since I was already ordering a bunch of other stuff from Sweet, it made sense to let them sell me some shock cord, too.

Next, I cut a piece of 1/8" neoprene in the shape of the MDF template, with about an inch border around the edges.  The neoprene is also a Sweet Composites purchase--they sell it by the yard from rolls.

I stretch the shock cord around one of the pieces of MDF, and loop a piece of nylon webbing (recycled from a roof-rack strap whose buckle had broken) through it.  The webbing will be the grab loop for pulling the cover off the hatch coaming.

Then I sandwich the neoprene between the MDF with the shock cord on it and the other piece.  Spring clamps keep it all together.

Time to start sewing the shock cord to the neoprene.  This is a slow, tedious process that I spread out over a few days.

I use waxed nylon thread that I bought at my local Tandy Leather Factory store.  They sold me the appropriate needles as well.

Each stitch requires no small bit of persuasion.  I use a pair of needle-nose pliers and Martha's antique thimble to get the needle through.

The hardest part is sewing through the grab loop, the cord, and the neoprene.

At last, the boat has hatch covers.  Now it's time to make the protective lids that fit over them.