: it will definitely be stiffer. Aft will have a hatch like BBKs, so it will
: be perpendicular to the WL, but would it be worth the trouble to angle the
: forward bulkhead like the Valley boats?

On my kayaks, I like to bring the bulkheads as close in towards the seat as possible to still allow me and someone slightly taller than I to get into the kayak. This reduces floodable volume in the kayak. That'd be my suggestion. I don't recall the theory behind angled front bulkheads, but the theory behind angled rear bulkheads that are close to the coaming is that they reduce floodable volume and the angle helps during emptying the kayak. I use rear angles for this reason.