Just bought a day hatch from Kajaksport that has a hard plastic rim. It's too short to install from under the deck and the cover fits tightly up against the rim flange so I don't think I can lay glass on top of the flange without compromising the hatch seal. I'm looking for suggestions on attaching it to the deck.

It's going on a Coho so I have a nice flat area to work with. I'm thinking of an adhesive but I don't know what kind to use. Should I glue it to the bare wood or glass the deck first? Because of it's location, it may get a little abuse when performing a paddle float rescue. I might be able to squeeze 3 or 4 small screws at the edge of the flange to give it a mechanical connection but I don't like the thought of metal screwheads showing and they'd be right along the edge of the rim.

Any suggestions out there?

Thanks in advance,

Gary B.