A big thanks to everyone who replied. A couple of you suggested I try going without the bulkheads/hatches and rudder first and see how I like it. I realize none of these things are absolutely necessary, but when I ordered the boat, I decided that I'd probably end up wanting them anyway, so I ordered them at the same time to save a bit on shipping. The hatches will hopefully make it a bit easier to load up gear, especially with a cloud of mosquitoes hovering around. And I've been in situations in the past (wind & waves) where I appreciated having a rudder.

> Gluing the inside seam is not that big of a deal. Just follow
> Pygmy's instructions on making the syringe on a stick tool, allow
> yourself plenty of time, and you won't have any problems. Wear a respirator,
> and avoid an epoxy hairdo by wearing a plastic bag over your head
> when you are working with epoxy inside the boat.

Thanks for the tip about the hairdo, I'd have never thought of that. A shower cap should do the trick there.

> Running the rudder cables after the boat is completed is also
> not a problem. The tubing is stiff enough that you can push it in
> from the outside of the hull. If you have a bulkhead, then you also
> have a hatch; you reach in through the hatch to push the tubing through

Good point, I didn't think of that. Sometimes you just need another person to point out the obvious for you.

> As far as the logistics on varnishing the boat, there are two
> schools of thought. If you're like me, the boat gets launched as soon
> as it is waterproof. Varnish, seat, foot pegs, etc go on "later".

Yes, I agree with that 100%. Now that I'm about 3/4 done wiring the hull, it's starting to look awfully boat-like to me and I'm itching to try it out. Hey, has anyone ever launched their's without a deck on it? I guess technically speaking, that would be a canoe and not a kayak though. :-)

> Happy building, and let us know of your first launch.

Definitely! With any luck, I may even have a few pictures of the glorious occasion.

Thanks again,

Richard