Wa'apa Build - Part 26 (Hatches on the cheap?)

A while back I came across these Gamma Seal lids for 5 gallon buckets. They have a ring which snaps on top of the bucket, and an inner part which screws into that. Supposed to be air and water tight.

They seemed like a good option for making large cheap hatches out of. I found some locally so grabbed one and a bucket to experiment with.

Top of bucket cut off and excess plastic removed, leaving just the one ring going around.

Lid snaps on tightly. There is a rubber seal in there.

The ring left on top of bucket is perfect distance, just slightly lower than the edge of lid.

Testing fit in a piece of scrap ply.

Fits great and sits nicely on that plastic ring on top of bucket. With some good sealant placed under that ring and pushed down tight it should provide a good seal.

Extends under enough so that screws can be put into some support timber and keep the whole thing in place firmly.

Only con is they aren't exactly low profile and are a bit industrial looking. However I don't think they look too bad, and for only $10 and ten minutes of time to make...it's hard to complain. I think they'll do the job nicely.