Hi. I've been checking in here for a while now, and picking up plenty of good advice. Now I have a few questions of my own. I'm building a Pygmy Coho, and I'm wondering if anybody has any tips for installing the bulkheads/hatches and rudder. I'm getting a bit ahead of myself because I'm only wiring the hull together now, but it doesn't hurt to plan ahead.

The instructions assume you'll be installing these into a finished boat, but I'm wondering if it'll be easier to do it earlier. I'm thinking that once I've glassed the deck and glued it on from the outside, if I were to cut the holes for the hatches, gluing the inside of the deck seam would be a whole lot easier since I could then get at it through the hatches, instead of just the cockpit.

I also think running the rudder cables would be easier with the deck off, but they have to pass through the bulkheads. Would there be any problems with installing the bulkheads into the hull before I put the deck on, or do I have to do it afterwards to ensure a good fit?

How about the logistics of varnishing the finished boat? You're supposed to wait a few weeks to let the epoxy fully cure before varnishing, so do I go ahead and install the hatch straps, rudder and deck rigging before I varnish? How do I avoid making a mess of all this when I do varnish? Can I just install it temporarily (don't put epoxy on the screws) so I can use the boat and then remove it all when it's time to varnish, or is that asking for trouble (water seeping into the wood)?

Please help out a clueless newbie. Has anyone written "Kayak Building for Dummies" yet? Maybe I'm the man for the job. :-) Any advice / recommendations / war stories are greatly appreciated. I'm hoping to have this one and my wife's Osprey Std (ordered last week) done in time for a week-long trip in early August.

Thanks,

Richard