: Rehd,

: I’m getting the feeling that you’re planning on installing permanent air bags
: fore and aft.

Hi Roger

No, I was goint to keep it opened up so I could get measurements and possibly make airbags that would fit near to capacity in the fore and aft sections. The boat will be used strictly for fun, and to learn with, and then the folks that want it later on are only casual paddlers and won't be doing anything neccessarily dangerous. They only paddle on calm days, lakes and around Monterey/Santa Cruz bay, which is protected pretty well. No camping, or trips.

: CAUTION! Do not install permanent airbags in a SOF.

: Maybe the other SOFers can back me up or slap me silly on this. When an SOF
: takes on water (it can be as little as a cup from paddle splash or
: entry/exit) the SOF becomes greedy and doesn’t want to give up that water.
: I found standing water in my kayak the next day after I thought I got it
: all out. It accumulates against the many stringers and anywhere else where
: canvas and wood makes a ledge.

: I fear that you’d be looking at a major case of the mildews with permanent
: airbags.

Yeh, I kinda thought that too. I want to be able to push them in half inflated and then fill completely from the cockpit area so that they fill the as much area as possibly. Then can be emptied and removed for drying.

: To get the last of the water out, I attach spring clamp fans in the cockpit
: pointing fore and aft. This’ll get air circulating around inside the boat
: and help with the drying process. Big permanent bags, no air circulation
: and no access to micro puddles.

: Then again, you might form a new strain of bacteria under that airbag and
: find the cure for cancer.

: Roger

Roger, with my luck it would be a strain that would only attack something in my system and be uncurable. But, I'll let ya know.