I used these soft loops and they worked great. To cut the slots in the boat, I made a templete out of plexiglass and double face tape. The templete is for a router with a straight cut bit with a collar. After cutting the slots, I used a file to square up the edges. The soft loops fit perfectly, are watertight, and easy to remove if you have to. (I took them out last week when I revarnished the kayak.) As for the hatch holddowns, I used a thinner straight cut bit as only 1 layer of strap passes through. Just make long straps instead of loops. I can email you some pictures if you like. Greg Bridges