Thanks Paul,

Yes I was extreemely frugal. I cut out the braces from other scraps and the left over slivers were non-uniform and not worth saving. I'm not sure my clamps would have grabbed them at all. However I'm saving your ideas for the next boat.

My wife suggested that I use some strap clamps to establish the hatch curve and then weigh down the hatch braces, or just - DUCT TAPE - them on to the hatch while the glue sets. Seems to make sense to me.

I had another idea. The hatch cover is already pre-curved because, while it was part of the deck, I put a layer of glass on it. However, when I cut out the hatch I must have released some tension because the curve is not the same. I was thinking that I could over-curve the cover (how much?) and add a layer of glass to the inside. When I released the clamps the cover would assume the correct shape or near enough. Any thoughts on either method?

Thank you again for responding,

John