My method is scary. It took some effort to work up the nerve the first few times I did it. It does work.

One thing you can do to help. When you are first starting the plunge, the blade may vibrate side-to-side. This may cause a slightly wider hole than you want. To settle the blade down, I have taped a strip over top of the line I want to cut and then plunge through the strip into the deck. This first scrap strip settles the blade down so it is not shaking side-to-side when it hits the deck.

> What is the preferred method for cutting hatches? I have a basic orbital
> Skil-saw and a handle that can hold Skil-saw-type blades for manual
> cutting. I'm a bit leery of the plunge-cut as shown in Nick's book. I was
> also thinking of using a coping saw blade epoxied into the end of a dowel
> for a thinner, quicker cut by hand (set up for cutting on the pull
> stroke.)

> After seeing Joe's recent posts of his Aussie kayak, I'm contemplating the
> internal bungee method, too.

> Dean