I'm just installing the coaming on a Coho S&G, and am having real doubts, mostly esthetic, about cutting hatches in. Any experience out there with the no-bulkhead,sea-sock approach? I've read that flotation bags allow much more water in than bulkheads in a capsize, but a seasock allows less than bulkheads. Is depending on a fabric bag safe (holes, coming off the coaming). Is it a real pain to have stow items from the cockpit, have them potentially shifting around? I've just paddled a few times. While I like to think I will overnight in the future, I'll be doing all day trips for a good while, and mostly day trips in any case.

I've also thought about installing bulkheads,which seem more secure for flotation, but putting either a bought round hatch or a built oval hatch in at least the stern one. This really limits the size of items going into the larger (stern) compartment, and a bulkhead hatch in the bow seems pretty impractical. Any experience with these?

thanks