> I tried wax first which was a huge pain in the a... Then I tried it with
> plasticene as you call it but once you get it deformed it stays that way.
> You have been warned. The soft foam will bounce back. I have done more
> than a dozen of these and the groove always comes out good. When you try
> it with something harder I would like to know how you did.

Hi Vaclav

Some good points. Ones that I'll keep in mind when my time comes. Some hard rubber, hard neoprene or hi dens styro might be possibles. Precoating the edges sounds like a good idea.

My preference is the molded silicone or polyurethane approach. (gasket on top!!??) oh no!!

-mick

> The gap between the deck and hatch is raw wood at this point that has to
> be coated with epoxy later. Drip candle wax in or some other oily stuff
> and you will spend eternity working on your hatches.

> And when you cinch down the hatch

> The rim and the lid are so stiff and perfectly matching that it will not
> deform 1mm. Remember, the lid was the mold for the composite gasket rim.
> This type of construction is way too strong and stiff to worry about
> compressive forces on the deck. The gasket rims are about 1/8" of
> carbon, glass and epoxy to provide substantial reinforcement of the hatch
> opening.

> The upturn bead is the whole point of doing it this way to hold the lid
> totally flush with the deck. The groove houses the gasket so it NEVER
> dislodges or gets rarely dirty,The lid, on the other hand gets dipped in
> sand all the time.

> Vaclav