Hello all,

Here are few of my thoughts that are relevant to this subject:

1.

regarding the bubble wrap: In the past I was thinking about empty plastic bottles - coke, pepsi etc'. when compared to the bubble wrap, it would be a rough estimation for a similar displacement 60-70%, the bottles are much more durable & Rehd will not have to hold himself from popping them.
you can glue few bottles together. I assume contact cement will work & if not - I trust you to find the solution. you can use different sizes to achieve a better fit. make sure you don't glue them to be larger than the hatches.

I thought about it but never used it. I preffer my cheap reliable float bags mainly because I can control their volume.

2.

the cover for the kayak: 2 options: option number one is the big blue tarp they sell at home depot etc'. it's light & strong & I don't exactly remember the price. I know they sell them in few sizes.

option number 2: I used to work for large printing houses that print big billboards. these printing houses have tons of scrapped material that meets the trash every evening. find such dumpster & you'll have lots of that material.
there are many types so you might have to visit that dumpster few times to get a full selection. the material will be printed with all kinds of commercials. you could probably remove most of it with acetone if you bother ( I wouldn't).
the name of the material is "vinyl", but it's not just vinyl, it's reinforced
with some strong webbing. It is designed to withstand the elements for at least 5 years, I know it because I know that the ink used for the print is warrantied for 5 years, & that includes UV.

I don't see how a sewn cover for a kayak will not flip & shake at 50-60 mph,
but I'm sure you'll show me.

I always had an affair with dumpsters.

Good luck to you all.

Erez