Jim,

I've only had them for a couple of months now, not really long term, but I can share some thoughts. The Moby latch is pretty cool. I've found that hooking the two latches closest to me and then hooking the ones on the opposite side of the boat works great. It's very easy for me. With the Moby latches you can't have a hatch cover that's in place but unsecured, you won't paddle into surf with a loose hatch. It does provide enough force to hold the covers in place as long as you have have an effectively shaped cam and use a fairly strong bungee. One thing you have to watch out for is that the force of the bungee might slowly warp your hatch cover. This is not a big deal, just plan ahead and put in some braces that span the width of the hatch covers.

If your hatch covers fit correctly and you have a good gasket, you shouldn't have a problem with leakage. If your hatch covers have warped and don't seat evenly on the gasket, it will be hard to find a hold-down system that will work. I do a lot of rolling and my compartments stay dry.

Good luck,

Pedro Almeida

p.s. Make your hatch cover braces before cutting the hatches out of your deck. Like that, you know you have the right shape.