GOOD morning Rick,
I have installed a Beckson type deck plate into the front bulkhead of my Chesapeake (pic below) and would say that they must be the easiest to install, cut the hole, drill screw holes, silicone and tighten down screws. I used stainless steel screws with a stainless locknut on the inside. Only drawback that I see is that they are virtually useless for storage, because you can only reach the hatch to unscrew it, not much farther.

For the rear hatch, if you were to use the same setup, it should work great. But I would recommend the largest deckplate possible so as not to limit your opening. If this rear compartment is to be just a day hatch, consider a third bulkhead, leaving just enough room for what you need. The third bulkhead should have a pin hole in/near the center for pressure release. Without the third bulkhead, I would tether a cheap wooden backscratcher or similar hook to the hatch that could reach the stern of the boat to retreive items that slide back.

By the time you get to that stage, Chip should have his "Hatchskys" ready to go and they look like a great alternative for a wooden boat, sure beats the plastic look.

Another thing to think about would be to have this day hatch cover on top of the rear deck, just behind the cockpit, so you can get things out of there while you're on the water. For my day hatch, I used a VCP rubber hatch cover, and although it's ugly, it works great.

Have a great day,
SMF

: I did a search on the forum and did not come up with much on this, though I
: swear I remember some previous discussions...

: I intend to make the hatches for a guillemot only in the bulkheads. I need
: the one in the bow only to inspect and dry out any droplets that get in
: there. I will use the one in the back-of-the-cockpit bulkhead to store
: lunch and small stuff. I do not intend to camp out of the guillemot.

: Intent is to make plywood or wood strip bulkheads this time instead of
: Minicel® to try out that technique. I have not run over any rocks
: which would have punched through the kayak if I had stiff bulkheads, so I
: will try them out.

: Because the bulkheads are not going to be visible on the deck, they do not
: need to be flush. They are on flat surfaces so I assume they can be simple
: flat plates on flatbulkheads where the plate is larger than the hole in
: the bulkhead and there is gasket material surrounding the outside edge of
: the flat plate.

: What great ideas have y'all come up with to hold bulkheads down? Internal
: bungees seem unnecessarially complicated for this. Screw down holders?
: Twirl down latches? What...

: I am open to all ideas and suggestions.

: Rick