A half dozen folks, some of them experienced, have complained about videos showing the hatchboards not in place in 30 knots.
To each his own, and no harm done.
I do find it absurd. With the sliding hatch closed on most Ericsons, very little salt water enters the cabin. In 10,000 miles on Ericsons, zero salt water has ever entered the cabin, and I don't have a dodger.
Rain squalls? Yes, of course. Gotta put the one-piece hatchboard in then, but even so only the ladder and sole gets wet much. And when it's cold, doggone right the hatch board is in.
I guess if I were sailing in the Roaring 40s in a gale with 30-foot seas, where being rolled or pitchpoled is on your mind, the hatch board would be in. I'm sure if streaming the Jordan Series drogue in a full gale, running with waves breaking into the cockpit, I would have the hatchboard in and the sliding hatch locked. But that's not the kind of sailing most of us do.
Besides, a singlehander is in and out of the companionway every hour, day and night. The inconvenience would be severe--and for what? , In Fastnet '79, highest seas and wind I have experienced, the hatchboard on Tenacious was never in. Need communication and a quick passage for crew and navigator. A tiny dodger kept water out.
Practical reality: With the hatch board out and the sliding hatch closed, if a 12-foot sea breaks directly abeam, stunning the boat like an auto accident and showering the cabin house with green water, only a sprinkle of water enters the cabin.
If the boat were knocked down and its spreaders touching the water, no salt water would come in either. This is a design element of offshore boats.
In the end, keeping hatchboards in is a great idea for anybody who concludes it is necessary.