New Plano box and Flare Gun mount

A dive bag will probably be your best bet then.   Could you have a custom dive bag made that lines inside your hatch opening, this way it is under deck, yet not letting the crab stink up the yak? 

all great ideas.. I have done the bag thing and it works.  I am always paranoid that if  I dump the yak I will end up with a bag of crab mush, that is why I have been tossing them into the hull lately.  My old man has a couple collapsible milk crates in the back of his rig, might have to see what I can do with those?

If you roll or huli....the crabs will be OK in the gunnysak
 These are my two most used methods of surf landing with crabs.
 I see folks get fancy bags, boxes, crates and such, but the good old wet burlap, is still a tried and true method of catch retention to prolong life and retain the freshness of your catch. I have two of them with drawstring rope my wife added ( she loves SeaBugs). they don't smell as bad if allowed to air well, I always have a fresh one waiting on the back fence.

back to the flares...i took power squadron training when i bought my big boat and get a CG inspection yearly to keep it safe...i am glad to see that you take the safety side of ocean kayaking seriously enough to carry flares...i had never thought about that...i do carry a handheld VHF with me out in the yak...curious, does anyone else use a vhf out in the big water?

I carry my VHF in salt and fresh water. You never know when a sneaky kayaker will be on the water with you. CH 69 for yaks !!!!!!

steelheadr, steelheadr, steelheadr...switch and answer 69...

I always have the VHF in my lifejacket pocket, askthe CG for a radio check when I launch.  Then put it on "scan" or CH 68, which most Puget Sound PB anglers use.   

  Always carry one,, but nobody else has one here.. Commercial guys are on vhf ch 11 out of Coos Bay ,, would be glad to help if needed.
  Royg

I sometimes crab out of Sunset. I have 2 mesh game bags so I don't have to put the crabs in with the fish. Think I need to get a different pot though. Don't particularly like loose crabs scrambling around between my legs.

a custom dive bag made that lines inside your hatch opening

This could probly solve that problem.

I have 2 pop flares in my vest. used to have 3, but one fell out on the beach at Sunset & a kid grabbed it & shot it off
Still gotta get one of those plano boxes & vhf.