> I finished cutting the hatches in the deck of my Guillemot last night and
> prepared them for making the lip. My question is, should I make a recess
> for a gasket in order to keep the hatch more flush with the deck? Nicks
> book doesn't say anything about doing it, but it seems like it will stick
> up the thickness of the compressed gasket if I don't.

In order to account for the gasket and get a perfectly flush hatch you have to recess the flange. You need to think about the gasket thickness versus the decks flexibility or extreme conditions that it may be encounter. Low stess - use a thin off set - say 1/16"(pretty thin);possible high deflections maybe as much as 1/4".

Simplest way to explain offsetting is to just attach some material to the thickness of the seal to the bottom of the hatch and cover w/ saran wrap & vaseline and lay up.

So here are some ways.

1/ Lay around a wax strip say 1/4" x1" all around the perimeter.

2/ Lay around some paper mache mush to the right dims. Sand to shape. Or what about some plasticene or play dough. (I sure got lots of this right beside me in my playbox!)

3/ Real simple way is to take the hatch, trace outline on a flattened cardboard box, glue w/ white glue to the bottom of the hatch. Use 2 layers for thick offsect. Cover screwups w/ masking tape. Saran wrap and lay up. Throw hatch in warm water later to dissolve glue and cardbd.

4/ Most simple dumbass way is to take hatch, cover bottom w/ saran wrap, and (white glue) tack some scrap spacers on TOP of the hatch and tape across the spacers to the top of the deck beside. This way your flange can be as wide as you wish and any depth up to the hatch thickness.

p.s. I sure assume you'll be using silicone or Ian's urethane idea in order to achieve a perfectly flush hatch.

-mike