In the rough water the stern was
: submerged a lot more than on my calm weather test. We paddled out a good
: hour and a half into the wind on lake champlain.
The rear compartment was swamped and the front had
: also taken on some water.

I watched a fellow paddler stuggle like this a while back. He had a defective rear hatch cover that let in the water.

On a day paddle or shorter trip, when I am not filled up with gear, I take displacement bags along to back up the floatation bulkheads supply. If I am empty I know the kayak will always float, if I am partly full the inflated displacement bags keep gear from shifting around.

I like my big endpours (done with a dike before I put the deck on) for the extra strength they provide for rocks, rough beaches, ice chunks I may bump while looking elsewhere.

: 1 Check the watertighness of your boat. fill the compartments with water and
: see where it leaks out.

: 2 Having a slippery boat with no deck rigging doesn't endear you with your
: rescuers.
Slippery boats without safety lines are hard to grab in the wind too.

Randy