Sponge Hatch Seals

Sponge hatch seals are commonly used within the marine, caravanning and engineering industries to seal manways, hatches and other enclosures such as lockers, vents and doorways. These profiles are available in an extensive selection of shapes and sizes to suit most openings, flanges and closing forces. All of our sponge hatch seals are manufactured from waterproof closed-cell sponge rubber compounds so will not absorb water aiding with the implementation of a reliable waterproof seal.

These profiles are manufactured in several variants, depending on the required application and closing force of the hatch door and position of the hinges. Extruded profiles often contain a central hole or external lip to allow easier compression with minimal force. This compares to cut strip which is a solid sponge profile that is marginally firmer than similar sized hollow extruded sections. The majority of these seals are available with or without a self-adhesive backing to ease the installation process. However, if the hatch is prone to constant water immersion it may be better to choose a section without an adhesive backing and use a good quality contact adhesive.

We recommend that you compress sponge seals by approximately a third to create a good watertight seal and minimise the chance of compression set. With heavy hatches, it may be necessary to manufacture solid stops around the end of the hatch to restrict the door from over compressing the section.