Hi ED

I like the extra stiffness just behind the cockpit seeing how I stripped my boat with 1/8" thick strips and I have to rest my 230 pounds there just before entry and to exit I also needed a rigid bulkhead in the front to anchor my rudder cables to for the the sliding footbrace, so I encapsulated some 1/8" thick cedar strips in 4 oz cloth and epoxy (lighter cloth would have better but thats what I had on hand) I then made cardboard template of those areas of the mould then tried and trimmed till it fit. I then took some 3/8" camping pad foam and secured it to the hull with polyeurathane caulk and cut out the bulkhead bottoms to fit on top of the foam,I then used hotmelt glue to attach a scrap piece of wood to the bulkheads for a handle to maneuver them into position then secured the bulkhead top and sides with a fillet of epoxy and wood flour then sealed the bulkhead to the foam with polyeurathane caulk .I then used a heatgun to remove the wood scrap handles. It just gives me a little peace of mind, in not creating a rigid area in the bottom of the boat.Which reminds me I still have to repair a 4" long split 10" in front of the seat in my interior glass from getting hung up in the rapids a while back, maybe a little kevlar on the inside of the next yak I build.

Later Bill