watertight hatches
 

All this working from home business has finally given me the chance to start on the 1974 23 SF in my yard. It was an I/O and I'm rehabbing in into a bracketed outboard.

As I look ahead and plan the sole, I would really love to go for watertight hatches. My 20 footer (not a Seacraft) has an aluminum Bomar over the bilge and I like it - much better than the plastic hatches.

I had planned on fiberglass hatches with gutters for the 23, but I'm starting to consider some aluminum watertight hatches like this:

https://www.baiermarine.com/shop/hat...x-24-aluminum/

Has anybody tried them? Right now my plan is to keep the step up at the bow, putting in a fiberglass hatch with strong gutters leading into the cockpit. I'm eliminating the hatch in front of the console (plan to push the tank forward) then behind the leaning post I'll have a single hatch over a storage/fishbox and then the hatch over the bilge. Both of those I'm considering these aluminum ones.

I wish they were a little more polished, like my Bomar one. Curious if anybody's gone this route?

Cost and weight are the only downsides. Theyll also stick up proud without rabbeting out some core. Hard to find used but theyre out there...

Try Freeman and Anchor brands too.

Thanks, I will check them out.