: Dave, that’s a beautiful kayak. I’m curious of what size beckson deck plates
: you installed in the bulkheads. How do they work for you? What’s the
: distance from you front coaming to the front bulkhead? Are you able to
: 'easy' reach for the front cover? I’m still debating; if I should go the
: same route as you or leave the bulkheads open.

: Thanks, Roland

Thanks, Roland.

You need to do something for flotation. I did not want to deal with a sea sock, so I chose glassed-in bulkheads. I like to store my kayaks with open hatches, so the plates work well.

I used the Beckson screw-in plates with a 4" thru hole. The forward bulkhead is about 3" forward of my toes, and I am using a 3"thick chunk of minicel for a footbrace. This is bulkhead-shaped, and has a loop of rope for retrieval. I can touch the minicel easily with my hands, but I cannot easily reach the deckplate. I have fashioned a simple wrench out of wood, that fits the lugs in the Beckson cover, to extend my reach and unscrew the cover.

Your mileage may vary, however, because I have a small (16x20)ocean cockpit, your bulkheads may be closer, your arms longer, etc.

regards,

DAve