my opinion only:

Pros: Deck will look great. (although some will say it looks more like an expedition boat should with hatches) Loading is easier. There is less work to do to get the boat in the water. Boat is lighter. YOu can always add hatches and bulkheads later if you choose to, the reverse is not possible.

cons: you will need to use a sea sock. This is a large nylon bag that lines your cockpit that you sit in. It prevents the entire boat from getting filled with water after you wet exit. Even with floatation provided by your gear in dry bags you still need to limit the amount of water that gets into your kayak to avoid stability problems. When you are not fully loaded with gear you will need float bags. float bags cost money and you have to keep them in good shape and monitor forv air leaks.

For me the bulkheads are easier and more comforting. If you want to go with bulkheads without hatches there are several ideas on how to do that. One is just to install the bulkheads and put 6 or 8" screw in type inspection ports in the bulkheads themselves. This leaves your deck clean and still allows access and venting of your compartments. Somewhere on this board there is a great description of a removable bulkhead made of minicell foam sandwitched between thin layers of plywood that goes in like a plug and pulls out for full access.

Good luck

Mike

Just wondering: Perhaps I should build only one hatch in the back of the boat
: for small things that need to be dry or for things easily accessible
: without having to get out of the boat. For the front hatch space why not
: just use the dry bags and load them through the cocpit? The cocpit is
: bigger than a hatch opening so loading will be easier. I'm thinking that
: the view on the nicely finished deck will be more pleasurable.

: I'm looking for opinions on pros and con's to my idea.