Hello Grant,

Before installing a rudder I had the Schade style foot brace. I really liked it, especially when paddling barefoot. You definately want it to be adjustable to compensate for shoes versus bare feet or thicker boots. One thing someone mentioned is instead of the notched rail they used a cam cleat or clam cleat to hold the footbrace line. I thought that was a great idea.

You don't want to use blue insulating foam. It will waterlog and get heavy, and will deteriorate. Minicell is really cheap and you can buy a large block and build both your bulkheads and your seat.

Just be aware that for my 30" inseam I put the bulkhead a lot closer to tighten up the cockpit volume and I had to shorten the rail on the footbrace. Plan ahead on that. Eric Schade at www.shearwater-boats.com sells a kit for the footbrace that has a very nicely machined rail out of ash, and precut plywood panels.

Good luck!