I've seen many approaches. My current
boat has a pretty good one. Here are some pictures of my hatch before I repaired and revarnished it (previous owner problem).
The "J' stainless slide of the hatch hooks around the flat stainless slide screwed to the companionway. The acrylic is held to the "J" slide by very short flat
head machine screws every three inches that go through the acrylic and are tapped into the stainless slide. The
wood sides of the hatch are routed out so that the acrylic sits flush. The side
wood is not structural, it just extends the
water barrier down the side. Caulking is on both the side and the bottom where the acrylic fits into the routed groove.
The combination has been leak free and slides easily. It's very strong. I can walk on it without worry. The full length interlocking stainless slides make it unlikely to rip off. I would guess the challenge to the design is to find or make the "j" shaped stainless channel.
Carl