I've heard some mixed reviews on chesapeake's hatch cover design, on the chesapeake 18. seems like, by standing proud off the deck, waves would get in quite easily, especially with little or no downward pressure provided by the straps. would a riser along the hatch's centerline provide suitable vector to make a tight enough seal. (although this seems kind of goofy looking). what about clamp-type fasteners instead of straps. or would it be easy to make the hatch covers sit flush with the deck surface? i'm not quite there yet, but wanted to see what advice was out there.

thanks.