for clarity, my windless sits right over my locker and the chain drops from inside the windlass. You really need at least an 8 inch ID hole in order to reach way down into the locker to push the chain around. Anything smaller might work but you need it big enough for your elbow to pass easily while wearing a thick jacket or foul weather gear. If you're going to punch a hole in your deck you might as well do it right, The thing I like about a bronze plate is that it is quite strong and I don't worry about the integrity of the deck. I certainly wouldn't use a plastic plate of any kind.