Hi Everyone...I have a question about the PA-14s...Has anyone really had good use of the bait board covering the center hatch? I ask because when using live/real bait, I remove the artificial bait boxes and place a plastic trash bag liner into the center hatch bucket, then fill the bag with ice and put my bait in that...It works great BTW
...I also made a small, 1/4" thick by 13" x 13" plywood cutting board that I use in place of the PA's bait board...Normally, I'll cut up one or more pieces of bail on the board and then cover them with a wet rag to keep them moist until I'm ready to use them. When I need to get some more of one type of bait though, I would have problems opening the hatch, had I cut the bait on the hatch cover...But...I just move my homemade bait board off the center hatch and open the hatch to get more of the bait I need...
So...I guess that I'm asking if the raised center hatch with cutting board is really useful, compared to the new PA-12's flush mounted center hatch?
If the PA-14's center hatch bucket would still fit into the hatch opening (height)without being too deep for the flush hatch, I'd definitely cut out the raised hatch and replace it with the flush hatch because I don't use the cutting board anyway and the raised hatch just seems like a tripping hazard when standing in the PA... 
...OR...Is the raised hatch necessary and somehow part of the PA-14's support structure, increasing the PA's deck rigidity and load capacity?
