Here's another thing I did differently . . . actually, doing it at all was different. I've wanted to go back on my other kayaks and add this, but it is much easier to do while building. So this is the first of my kayaks that have this.

I embedded a new 2003 penny on the deck as a way to mark the year in which it was made. Who knows, maybe it will bring good luck too. I used a forstner bit and drill press to drill a hole just shallow enough and big around for the penny. I did that on the recessed plate behind the coaming. Glued the penny in and filled the area to the surface with epoxy. The epoxy shrank a little in curing, so I later added just a touch more. Did all of that before stitching the plate into place. Got the idea from a custom furniture builder. It worked well, and the copper penny blends nicely with the colors of the wood.