Chance,
I am about to do away with my aft lazarette, send me a message with your address and I'll send down the clam shell thingys, I'll also try my best to remove the gasket material with out damaging it. It probably won't be enough, but perhaps you can add up some good sections. Too bad you already went through all the work of recoring the lid... I could have just sent you my whole assembly. How are your hinges?
long wood screws(like 2") will work great for your winch towers. Be sure to predrill with the proper size drill bit. If you are laminating the towers from like 1" wood stock, try to get through the first 2 layers. Also be sure to use wood screws, not long sheet metal screws. The thread pitch and depth are different as well as the shaft taper.