> Most of the post below suggest that only the foolhardy would build a kayak
> without bulkheads/hatches due to safety reasons. Do the native paddlers in
> Greenland, Alaska, etc use bulkheads in their boats? When did it become
> conventional wisdom that kayaks without bulkheads were unsafe?

The sense of the messages thus far have talked about the of hatches; it's the bulkheads that writers have stressed as safety factors. The Greenlanders didn't build in watertight bulkheads because they would not have had a use for them. The skin on frame was a very sufficient external structure, and a wet exit was not a viable option for them in most cases because the cold water created an environment in which they could not survive in most cases. They stayed with their kayaks, lashed into their kayaks, and usually departed the world in their kayaks --- either at sea when their luck ran out, or on land, where they were buried in their kayaks. If you didn't plan on getting out of your boat, a watertight bulkhead was essentially useless.

Recreational kayaking generally recognizes the value of watertight bulkheads forward and aft of the cockpit because it creates flotation zones forward and aft that can keep the boat afloat and relatively easily salvageable after a dunking. Float bags and sea socks are reasonable options to watertight bulkheads, and have been seen as safety assets for a long time. long? Dunno --- I've only been at this for eight years. More than eight years, I guess.

Jack Martin