: Why the removable bulkhead. Sounds like a PITA.

: Pete czerpak
: albany< NY

As for me.... I have a cushy Walrus camp couch to take along this summer on a luxurious 8 day kayak trip with a friend down the "Wild & Scenic" stretch of the Missouri River in Montana. The couch will easily fit into the stern of my Coho when loaded through the cockpit. It will not fit through the aft hatch of my Arctic Tern (therefore it wouldn't fit through a hatch cut into the Coho.) By installing a removable rear bulkhead, I can forgo the sea sock.

At the moment, the Coho has no hatches/bulkheads installed (I'm currently prepping it for varnish.)

My options are:

-- install bow hatch/bulkhead, no rear hatch/bulkhead, use float bags in rear (when rear compartment isn't filled with drybags full of gear) + sea sock

-- no hatches/bulkheads, loading all gear through the cockpit, (using float bags in both ends during day trips) + sea sock

-- bow hatch/bulkhead + removable stern bulkhead, so I don't need to muck with a sea sock and can still carry my gear of choice.

So, the question for me is.... which is less of a pain and more reliable? a removable bulkhead? or sea sock.

BTW -- I've done lots and lots of minimalist camping, when backpacking and bicycle touring, and in those circumstances can be fanatic about not carrying anything more than needed, but the express purpose of this trip is to go down the river in style, so responses along the lines of "if it won't fit through a hatch, you don't need to bring it" are not what I'm aiming for. There is room enough to carry everything.... as long as the stern stowage area of the Coho is loaded through the cockpit... so it's a question of how best to create a safe & convenient way to minimize floodable cockpit volume (without a rear deck hatch).

Julie Kanarr
Wilsall MT