: Don,
: I'm at the same stage, I cut out a "picture frame" of lath 3/16 in.
: thick in the shape of the hatch cover about two inches wide. It takes at
: least 6 layers of cloth to reach the proper thickness but most of these
: can be done at the same time.

If you do all 6 layers at the same time, you can use less resin, and also be completely sure that all 6 layers bond well to each other.

Next time I do flush hatches, I'm going to try to vacuum-bag the hatch lip.

: After cure cut flange to thickness of
: gasket. Use saran wrap for release film, I didn't have good luck with wax.
: Ray

Saran wrap isn't bad, but wax and PVA work the absolute best! I've tried only wax, only PVA, and PVA over wax. Wax keeps the PVA from sticking to the mold (hatch cover) and PVA keeps the resin from sticking to the wax. Definitely a great "symbiotic" relationship.

Wax the hatch well, and buff it to a shine with a rag. Brush on the PVA and let it dry. Apply the resin directly to the PVA and I guarantee you'll get a good release.

Shawn