First of all, I have wooden bulkheads in both of my kayaks and have no problem with them. This may be dependant on how you will use the kayak though.

The only thing I do see is some deformation where I have installed the footpegs. I epoxied two blocks on the inside of the cockpit and mounted the pegs to them. That way I did not have to put holes through the kayak.

The deformationis not bad (S&G design) but is noticeable when looking at the kayak from the side at certain angles.

All of this got me to thinking about the next kayak I want to build, a stripper Great Auk. It just seems that most of the time when I am paddling, the bulkhead would serve as an excellent footbrace. This would seem to give more room for storage also.

As for different size people using the kayak, your solution is a good one, just put in different sized standoffs.

Stan Heeres

: I'm thinking about what type of footbraces I want for my Spring Run. I have
: large(size 13)feet so I don't want waste any space.

: I'm thinking of using a wood-stripped bulkhead as the main support and
: inserting minicell foam to adjust the fit. I think this is probably the
: simplest way of making footbraces.

: I've heard the concerns about wooden bulkheads. Do any of you have any
: experience with this type of footbrace?

: Brian