The nice thing about the Coho bulkhead setup is that once they're in, the cockpit is extremely easy to clear of water by lifting the bow -- the water just rolls back to the rear bulkhead and bounces out. It's really an important safety feature, a much better option than air bags.

: What you finally decide should depend on what you are planning to do with the
: kayak. Will it be just for day trips? Weekends? Touring? What type of
: conditions will you be paddling in? Calm? 4 foot seas or less? 30+ knots?
: Exposed shore line or smaller lakes?

: I use my boat for extended tours in the Pacific Northwest in some pretty
: nasty stuff so I have bulkheads with hatches and then use float bags to
: make up any spare space I have after I pack in the dry bags (loaded with
: gear). I also make sure when I load the kayak it is equally distributed.
: My thought is if the hatch leaks or blows off, I have the storage space
: filled enough so as to not let much water in. Overly cautious? Maybe, but
: I've at least got another line of defense against one problem.