Phil, I haven't come to that point yet, but first thought was to apply a plastic cup under the whole thing. This would isolate the compartment from the outside world, but create a minor maintenance chore of emptying the cups after each use. Next under consideration was to set the rotating piece on a thin gasket of it's own. Then in line is to measure the tapered screw, and see if a groove for a small o-ring could be turned into it. Another thought is to simply smear the screw with silicone or suitable ( recommendations? ) heavy grease before each launch. Hanging over my head is the realisation that Ross did a good job already, but I go for the idea of POSITIVE mechanical lock, and would like to eliminate the internal bungees hanging around in the compartment. Two small white, brown, or stainless centers of decorative florets on the deck are a small price to pay for POSITIVE lock. For the lean, clean, Leidy-Lid Look, Ross has the best yet way to go, with the internal bungees. Keep in touch, I'd like to hear of progress along this vein. Note that I would finish the hatches with an under curve, so that the dzus clips would pull it into sealing position. TNX, Scotty