steve, i built a patuxent 3 yrs ago, no hatches, have had a Mariner Express for 5 yrs and installed rear a yr. ago then front last summer,

pro-no hatch-finished a little quicker, tad lighter, cleaner deck,with sea sock and float bags can be perfectly safe.

con-no hatch-didn't smooth out all the epoxy rough spots,float bag gets a leak, forget to inflate float bag before heading out on water, float bag has slow leak discovered during rescue inhibits re-entry, water caught behind float bag slow to drain out, bought fancy light nylon float bag it gets a leak, in other words a lot of float bag maintenance.

most of the accident reports involve people being in conditions that are beyond their abilities, or haven't practiced rescues in those conditions, equipment mania doesn't save lives