: I did a search on the forum and did not come up with much on this, though I
: swear I remember some previous discussions...

: I intend to make the hatches for a guillemot only in the bulkheads. I need
: the one in the bow only to inspect and dry out any droplets that get in
: there. I will use the one in the back-of-the-cockpit bulkhead to store
: lunch and small stuff. I do not intend to camp out of the guillemot.

: Intent is to make plywood or wood strip bulkheads this time instead of
: Minicel® to try out that technique. I have not run over any rocks
: which would have punched through the kayak if I had stiff bulkheads, so I
: will try them out.

: Because the bulkheads are not going to be visible on the deck, they do not
: need to be flush. They are on flat surfaces so I assume they can be simple
: flat plates on flatbulkheads where the plate is larger than the hole in
: the bulkhead and there is gasket material surrounding the outside edge of
: the flat plate.

: What great ideas have y'all come up with to hold bulkheads down? Internal
: bungees seem unnecessarially complicated for this. Screw down holders?
: Twirl down latches? What...

: I am open to all ideas and suggestions.

: Rick

Hi Rick,
I have been looking at the same problem for the King and came up with a rubber oval hatch cover from Ocean Kayaks that measures 10 1/2 X 17 inches. The 10 1/2 inch height is too tall so I will mount the bulk head at approximately a 30 degree angle in the stern. In the bow I will use an air bag which will be held in by a cord running through a stainless ring embedded in the end of the boat.
A second solution I thought about and a local paddler said has already been done, is an exact fit dry bag glued into the rear with the bottom cut out so that the closure is the roll down and buckle part of the drybag.
Since both of these ideas are not as strong as a rigid bulk head, some carbon fiber reinforcment would be in order.
I'll be watching this thread to see if a more appealing idea surfaces.
Reg