Hey John!

Thanks for the detailed response! That is a ton of great information for me to take in. I am so glad I asked. Are you near Seattle? I will try and address what I can now.

Yes the cable does run through the seam piece. I was considering using this technique to repair the front.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AgNypY6x_mk

I absolutely want to fix this boat up rather than buy a new one. I am a DIY guy, and we are completely in love with the design of this boat.

Good deal on the rubber hatch. I will order one of those and I will look into snapdragon for the other hatches. They are also very close to me.

I will use West epoxy, and those pumps are a great idea.

I will post pics when I get going, I will probably have questions about products... I need to keep watching videos and researching for now.