Chop over bow

I paddle a Hobie Quest to fish and I am a big...ie: heavy...fisherman. When I paddle in moderate chop the bow dips and the waves wash over the bow. The water coming over the bow then proceeds to follow the hatch cover channels and dumps in the cockpit. As I need to use scupper plugs...as I said...big fisherman... I find I am frequently bailing this wave wash out. Has anyone found a way to channel this water off the bow so that it doesn't end up the cockpit? (And yes...I know I should loose the weight and open the scupper plugs. I'm hoping for something else.)

Legend, welcome to the forum. I don't think there is anything that is 100% effective. There isn't much you can do with the foredeck that wouldn't block the forward hatch. Likewise, a dodger would block access to your hatch and limit your operating space.

I think you can at least help the situation by getting the water to siphon off as follows:

1. tape over at least 80% of each scupper leaving a small slot at the rear. It looks like this:


2. open the scuppers but leave them in place to act as baffles.
As you paddle, this creates a venturi effect that siphons water off and continuously drains your cockpit -- works great as long as you're moving forward. Of course when you stop, water will enter your seat area; you can close off the scuppers at that time. You can slow the process down by just cracking your scuppers open, allowing for a slow drain and momentary stops with minimal water intrusion. Since you're getting wet anyway, at least this will continue to empty the seating area. If set up correctly you don't need much speed -- maybe 1 to 2 MPH for this to work.

Or you could try one of those dry suits.