: I'm envisioning a Okoume frame and hatch with a
: closed foam gasket and some sort of thumb latch arrangement to make the
: seal. Any suggestions out there?

: David

You can forget the latch if you simply use a thick foam bulkhead (3 inch or 4 inch thick minicell) sandwiched between two thin sheets of plywood that are an inch or two smaller than the inner dimensions of your boat. Push it in like a plug or a cork. An eyebolt in the center holds the plywood pieces together, stiffening and strengthening the plug, and it also provides a handle to use when you want to pull out the plug. more details at:

http://www.kayakforum.com/cgi-bin/Building/index.cgi?read=48233

Hope this helps

PGJ