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All of the Whalers I've done, 2 of which had all original interiors, had plywood anchor hatches. I suspect it's due to the recess for the hatch being 3/4" deep so that the use of the thicker 5/4 solid lumber would result in it a raised piece. The 3/4" marine grade plywood is stronger than 3/4" solid lumber (less deflection) and since it's a seat, Whaler seems to have opted for the use of plywood for the hatch. BTW, the plywood hatch on the 1981, which was original according to the first owner, looked OK, with just a bit of degradation on 2 of its corners. The hatch did not have the edging and last time the prior owner finished it was over 10 yrs ago, so not bad for a 36 yr old piece of plywood!