Thank you for the suggestions. I ended up getting the Bosch variable speed jig saw and cutting the back hatch that way. Did fine, just taking it slow and easy. It has a setting for an oval blade path, and that seemed to help quite bit with the vibration. Wishing there was a way to support the edge as you get close to finishing the cut, I got a little bit of tearout there.

I had to justify at least one power tool purchase ;-) I was lamenting to my wife that the only problem with the pygmy is that you can do just about all the work just as easily with hand tools, no excuses.

Work has slowed a little bit. I have the seat back assembled and installed, still need to cement in the velcro to hold the seat cushion in place. I'll try the stock seat and modify as needed after that.

Also still need to position the foot pedals, front bulkhead, front hatch, etc. Spent time working on my wifes boat, wiring all the panels together and getting first pass of epoxy in the seams. Yes, we're going to have his and her Coho's ;-)

I was also confused by the measurements from hatch to deck seam. We ended up going up to the Pygmy showroom on Saturday and looking at their hatches. The cut is 3/4 inch from the edge, just enough space to glue the spacer and hatch lip without hitting the angle of the seam.

It was also gratififying to see the odd drip and messy epoxy taping job on the inside around the bulkheads our outside. My boat doesn't look any worse than any of their demo boats.

So, is the bow sturdy enough to break a bottle of champagne? Or are there other rituals for first launch of a kayak? thanks dave