> To make it more watertight I put a thin layer of vaseline on the glass lip
> that was molded to hole that hatch cover. Over that I stretched some saran
> wrap smoothing out ALL the wrinkles. (The vaseline holds the saran wrap in
> place and allows you to get the wrinkles out easier) On top of the saran
> wrap I put a bead of clear marine grade caulk and put the hatch cover over
> it pushing down tight but not too hard. After 24 hours I took the cover
> off and had a permanent watertight seal. The caulk stuck to the hatch
> cover and not to the boat and the caulk formed itself to the exact shape
> of the lip filling the small imperfections that let the water in. This way
> I didn't need to make that hatch cover lower than the deck so I could fit
> in some 1/4" gasket materiel, the caulk is only 1/16" or less
> thick so it looks (and works) great.

That's great! I'm very interested that someone's tried it (silicone caulk) because it seems to me the best way to get an absolutely flush result. And its definately the way I'm going to put access hatches in my kayak. An added benefine is that you can surround and other type of fittings and still get a seal.

One modification, however is to put the silicone seal on the hatch, not on the kayak. The result of this is that sand, gunk and scunge won't get caught in any spaces between the caulk and the boat, or you won't drop the stove on the perfect seal. If it is on the hatch you can protect it better when you stop at your camping locations. I also think that planning the seal to be a little thicker than 1/16" might allow for hull flexure or deformation due to varying loading or weather conditions (but this is just a guess).

Anyway I'm fired up now!

-Mickle