Valley hatch covers (aka lid) need periodic replacement. For decades Valley only made one size of their VCP Round hatch cover and it has been variously called the 7.5" or 8" lid or the "Standard Round Lid". The inside opening of the hatch rim is about 7.68"/19.5cm diameter, the outside diameter of the rim the lid fits over is about 8" but not exactly, the outside diameter of the rubber hatch lid itself is about 9". Valley now has a bigger round hatch that is used as a bow hatch (e.g. on the Valley Gemini and Sirona series kayaks and some NorthShore kayaks), but the so called 8" lid is still the standard for Impex, Necky, Sterling, and all Valley day hatches (except the Gemini SP). Additionally NDK kayak owners can upgrade their day hatch cover to the Valley Std. Round Lid (however, only the day hatch is interchangeable between Valley and NDK -- the bow and stern NDK hatches use Kajak Sport brand 24cm covers). The Std. Round Lid (AKA 8") works on both composite (e.g. fiberglass) and roto-molded PE and thermo-formed plastic kayaks that came with that size lid.

Note: The "Standard Round Lid" has a tab on the inside that you can melt a hole through in order to attach a tether from it to the inside of your kayak's hatch compartment. When Valley builds a composite kayak they melt a hole in this tab and tether the lid (but not on their Roto-Molded PE kayaks), but when they make and sell the replacement lids it is up to the buyer to melt the hole if you want to tether the lid from the inside (drilling a hole through this rubber tab doesn't work, it needs to be melted either with a soldering iron or a hot nail). Alternatively you could tie a bungee cord around the groove on the outside of the lid and attach an external tether to that. Pro tip: The easiest way to melt a hole in the tab is with a pointy tipped soldering iron.

Late model Valley kayaks (Etain, Sirona, Gemini) have a "4th" hatch in front of the cockpit commonly called the "whiskey" hatch or "glove-box". This uses a 6" (AKA "Mini") hatch cover, and the same cover is used for both composite kayaks and roto-molded PE kayaks. However, for the first few years of production the Etain and Gemini they came with a removable "Pod" in front of the cockpit rather than a hatch with a fixed bucket under the deck. This removable Pod uses a special 5" hatch lid (slightly smaller than the "Mini" 4th hatch lid) and it is the same Pod and cover for both composite kayaks and RM PE plastic kayaks.

There are two versions of the 10" diameter Valley Bow hatch cover. These covers look nearly identical, but they are not interchangeable. One is for Composite (glass) kayaks which have a separate molded black plastic hatch rim. These are used on composite Valley Gemini and Sirona (The inside of the lid has "NSVSK COMP" molded into the rubber where "COMP" is short for composite kayaks). The other 10" Bow hatch cover is for roto-molded (RM) polyethylene (PE) kayaks where the hatch rim is just molded into the shape of the deck not a separate piece. These are used on Valley RM Gemini PE, RM Sirona PE, and NorthShore RM Aspect PE and RM Atlantic PE. (The inside of the lid has "PE" molded into the rubber where "PE" is short for polyethylene plastic kayaks).

Note: New hatches need to be lubricated with 303 Protectant in order to fit onto the kayak.

Kajak Sport substitute hatch covers for Valley hatches:

In recent years Kayak Sport has started making their "Rubber" style hatch covers in sizes to fit some of the Valley hatch rims. For Valley Round Hatch Covers, Kajak Sport now has replacements for two of the five sizes of Valley Round Covers: the Standard Round Cover and the 10" PE Round Cover. These covers will NOT fit on kayaks that came with Kayak Sport Hatches - see our other Kayak Sport Hatch Cover product pages for those kayaks. Valley hatch covers are made of polyurethane and float. Kayak Sport Original Rubber hatch covers are made of natural rubber (latex) which sinks. Some customers report that these KS hatch covers don't fit tight, but some people prefer the KS brand hatch covers as they tend to hold up longer to UV sunlight. Since the material and design is different we can not guarantee the fit or function of these substitute hatch covers on a kayak that came with Valley hatches. Use at your own risk. If you want hatches with the same level of waterproofness and security as the kayak came with, then buy the OEM Valley brand hatch cover.

All hatch covers deteriorate from exposure to the sun (UV). Depending where you live (Arizona with intense UV and heat or Louisiana with a chemical refinery next door?) and how you store your kayak (i.e. indoors or outside, covered or exposed, upside down or right-side up, hatch covers on or off the kayak) it is common to need to replace the hatch cover every three to ten years. If you store your kayak outdoors, a boat cover may pay for itself in terms of hatch lids alone (and a kayak cover will reduce fading and weakening of the rest of the kayak too). Treat the outside of the lid with 303 Protectant at least once a year will slow down the UV deterioration.

Tip: 303 blocks the sun's UV rays. Lubricate the hatch cover's seal and the lip of the hatch rim with a thin smear of 303 to make the hatch cover slip on more easily. Lubricating the hatch whenever it feels hard to close helps protect your kayak from cracking around the hatch rim from excess pressure while closing hatch lid. However, be careful not to overdo it with the lubricant or your hatch cover may come off too easily -- excess 303 can be wiped off with a paper towel.

Cheat sheet:

• 5" round "Pod" fits:
  
• Valley Kayak with removable "pod" in front of cockpit
• NOTE: "5" round hatch" fits composite (glass) and roto-molded (RM) PE kayaks
• 6" round "Mini" fits:
  • Valley Kayak "whiskey" / glove-box hatch in front of cockpit
  • NOTE: "6" round hatch" fits composite (glass) and roto-molded (RM) PE kayaks
• 8" Std. round fits (note it isn't really 8" diameter):
• All Valley Kayak day hatches (except composite Gemini SP see 6")
  
• All Impex/Necky/NorthShore day hatches and some round bow hatches
• All NDK kayak day hatches (as an upgrade to the original cover)
• Sterling Kayak day hatches on: Illusion, Grand Illusion, Refection, Progression
  
• NOTE: "8" Std. round hatch" fits composite (glass) and roto-molded (RM) PE kayaks that came with a Valley day hatch
• 10" Composite (glass etc.) kayak fits:
• Valley composite Gemini and Sirona bow hatches
• 10" PE roto-moulded kayak fits:
• Valley RM Gemini PE
• Valley RM Sirona PE
• NorthShore RM Aspect PE
• NorthShore RM Atlantic PE

This item is the replacement hatch lid only, not the kit with the rim for building a kayak.

Please call if you are unsure which hatch cover is needed for your kayak hatch.