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Good luck with the Bluefin…
Can you post a pic of the hatch opening seal upon your return? I don’t recall ever seeing white seals/weather stripping for hatches (at least on Conquest models) – which makes me think that the current one is not factory and has been replaced – and may be the/a issue.
It has been my experience that the (foam-like) weather stripping seals available at home improvement stores don’t do to well in marine/saltwater environments for too long (start to deteriorate). The seal on the hatch for the bilge and fish boxes are very flat with small grooves in order to make flush contact with the gel coated rim of the opening.
One final suggestion – before drilling zip ties down, see if you can loosen the hose from the scupper and twist it to get a more desirable pitch/run. If that doesn’t work, I would suggest trying self-adhesive zip tie anchor mounts (before drilling)