Is it possible without exploding to add a hole to a hatch?
try this... draw a polyline (make it on a temp layer that won't print) over the objects that form the boundary of your hatch. put in the cirlce where you want your "hole". make sure that the island detection in the advanced tab of your hatch command window is set to normal. select both the boundary and the hole when you hatch. that should do it. sean