>. . . I would like to try doing something like the
> following. Put wax paper on deck. Apply some sort of curing goo to
> underside of hatch rim. Set onto deck and apply light pressure. Remove
> whatever goo squeezes out from under rim. Let cure. It seems like this
> would work well, but if gasket goo is like weatherstripping, I would
> probably want something that remained pliable and would not degrade in a
> saltwater environment. Has anyone tried something like this? What is the
> best gasket goo to use.

The going thought on this seems to be to use saran wrap rather than wax paper. The other thought seems to be to put the goop on the boat, and not on the hatch.

The process would then be, squeeze your goop on the lip that the hatch will crest on. Wrap the hatch in a single layer of saran, stretched over it to eliminate wrinkles, and drop into place. Excess goop may appear areound the edges, which can be nice. Let it alone until it cures, then trim the excess back with a single edge razor blade. ( The same idea as scraping off excess dried glue, rather than smearing it off while it is wet) You should be able to pull the hatch up by tugging on the saran. Some people put a light film of vaseline on the saran as a further aid in getting the goop to release your hatch.

Hope this helps.

Paul G. Jacobson