I have a spot in my boat where this crate I bought for the kayak and it would hold 3700 boxes. Being it’s not waterproof I would use hydro flo boxes. 
 

my thoughts for a lid are a thin piece of scrap metal from work held on one side with clips from a tackle binder on one side and a handle on the other with magnets to hold it closed. 
 

Any other bargain ideas for a lid?

Lexan cutting board.

Cut it to fit.

Screw strips on underside to fit inside edge of the crate.

Easy on, easy off and stays in place giving you a flat work surface.

 

Or mount with a hinge. This from another thread

You can probably find the same sized storage box at walmart or whatever that comes with a lid.  It would probably be cheaper than making a lid for this one.  Then you could drill holes into it, if you liked.  Or better yet, you might find a lid that fits it perfectly, meant for another box.  

 

It being a cheap, plastic crate, I wouldn't spend too much on it.  I don't know how long hinges would hold before wearing out the plastic walls.  

What motobass posted is a good idea. Another option is starboard.  Its HDPE marine grade board.  Its common to use in a kayak for a lot of things and handles weather perfectly.  Here is one option from Amazon but you can search around and find it cheaper.  A cheap cutting board would do the same.  For a cheap and cheerful hinge, just drill a half dozen holes along one edge and use zip ties.  An elastic strap on the other side will hold it closed, just drill a hold in the lid and cut a notch in the crate (or vice versa).

 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07RWPJSS8/ref=ox_sc_saved_title_4?smid=A282GQUOHAJR4X&psc=1

9 hours ago, Motoboss said:

Or mount with a hinge. This from another thread

 

That's mine and it works great. I found the thin piece of plastic laying around. Didn't care what it was. Cut and painted it, used hinges and small bolts with nuts. The crate can take it no problem. It has held together several years.

 

Get creative. I  made a latch for it with StarBoard, same with the mounts for the rod holders.

So today at work they cut me a 14x17” cover out of a piece of scrap aluminum we had. It is fairly thick as well.  So in many ways this ends up being a free solution because I had the handle laying around along with bolts to hold it on. If a zip tie breaks just replace with a new one. 
 

If this doesn’t work I really like the cutting board idea and I will give that a try. Appreciate the ideas. 
 

the one thing I can say for sure is I really like the option to have storage in a small boat that I can cover the boxes up to keep the sun off the crank baits and plastics. It’s a never ending journey with a small boat lol. Each change I make I think will be the last, I tend to find something better at least temporarily. 

On 9/26/2022 at 9:54 PM, Cgolf said:

So today at work they cut me a 14x17” cover out of a piece of scrap aluminum we had. It is fairly thick as well.  So in many ways this ends up being a free solution because I had the handle laying around along with bolts to hold it on. If a zip tie breaks just replace with a new one. 
 

If this doesn’t work I really like the cutting board idea and I will give that a try. Appreciate the ideas. 
 

the one thing I can say for sure is I really like the option to have storage in a small boat that I can cover the boxes up to keep the sun off the crank baits and plastics. It’s a never ending journey with a small boat lol. Each change I make I think will be the last, I tend to find something better at least temporarily. 

Love it!  Functional.  Rust proof.  Can't beat free!  It's strong enough you could probably accidentally step on it without crashing through.