I went offshore right after posting, so I was not able to get back on the board until today. On my P3 the hatches are hinged at the rear and I have room with the step box to move the latches closer to the center of each lid. On my 2001 model even though the rest of the boat is solid fiberglass, they still used wood in the lids for the compartments, and a few have started to get soft around the latches, (It is not a garage queen and sometimes has to sit out while I am offshore, and I already replaced the large flipping deck hatch) which is why I am debating having new aluminum hatch covers made. And it helps to have a friend in the aluminum sheet metal and welding business. I only have about 400 hrs on the 2006 Opti, but i have worn out and rebuilt 2 tour model trolling motors multiple times (I have my spare on the wall ready to go) in that same time span.