I've had my Outback for 3 yrs and love it. But I've been noticing for awhile that the center Twist and Seal Hatch is getting harder to open and close. Acts like it's warped or something. I put some silicone lube on it and it helped, but when I took the yak out last night I could barely get the hatch open. Has anyone else run into this problem?

Looks like it was the rubber O-ring. I took it off and it closes fine (but won't seal out water). Just need to order a new seal I guess.

Most likely all you need to do is wash the ring and maybe remove any sand or soil for the area where the ring lies. press the ring back in place and see if that is any better. Worked for me. Good luck.

Thanks. I'll give that a try.

I noticed with mine if I leave the covers off while its stored for awhile and if it's on its side it will slightly warp and make them hard to reinstall. They will reform once it's installed and let sit with them in.

Silicone grease may make the problem worse if grit is the problem.

It definitely was gritty. I cleaned it well before using the silicone, but didn't remove the seal and clean the seal seat. I've done that now and will be reinstalling the seal next time I get it out. Hopefully that'll do the trick.