: I have never owned a kayak with hatches or bulkheads.

I am certain you are not the only one. As a practical matter, very few skin on frame kayaks have hatches or bulkheads, either. It would be difficult to install them.

Among that group would be Klepper kayaks. They have been around for well over 90 years I believe, and have a pretty impressive record for reliability. (When people want to go on trans-oceanic voyages, they seem to choose Klepper.) Their cockpit openings are not particularly suited to sea socks either, for that matter. You can get drybags and floats for them, but mostly people seem to jsut go with the standard inflatable sponsons.

What does this mean? Well, the cliche about the may ways of skinning a cat comes to mind. Since there is not a unique set of problems, safety in boating cannot be boiled down to one single set of answers. It is a shame, but true.

Consider your conditions. Kayaking in rapids is different from kayaking on a calm lake, and both are different from kayaking in the open ocean waves. Safety concerns in each of these conditions will be different. While I'm at this point, let me throw in the issue of open canoes, as well. They take on rapids and calm lakes about as often as kayaks -- maybe more often -- although there are not a lot that go into open oceans. A discussion of the use of bulkheads as a safety item would have to address the use of these boats in gentle and rough conditions.

Anyone who wishes to argue for the necessity of bulkheads in a kayak used on lake or rapid stream must end up arguing against some canoeist who travels in similar waters, and doesn't even have a place to put a bulkhead.

Drybags, airbags, floatbags, solid floatation -- among other options -- will keep a boat afloat if it should swamp. Despite the flotation option used, though,removing the unwanted water from the boat is a major problem, and I think time spent on considering this issue would be a good thing. In the long run, some of the safety options are merely ways to prevent or minimize the accumulation of water inside the boat. When it comes to water, if you can't keep it out, though, you have to eventually get it out. That usually means a bailer, bucket, sponge, or some form of pump -- and now I think I've added even more confusion to the issue. sorry about that.

PGJ