Stephen,
Thanks for your quick and helpful reply. Float bags it is. I'll search through the forums. I may have a follow up question later on. Again, thanks a bunch!
Jim

: Hi Jim,
: 1) Adding floatation won't make the kayak more stable. It's inside
: the boat, so is already part of the boat's stability equation.
: 2) Floatation is a must, as if the paddler goes in and wet-exits
: (has to get out of the boat and back in again), the kayak will
: fill with water without it. (The point of the floatation is to
: displace water.)
: 3) The reason float bags are preferred for SOF is that when water
: gets into the hull, the float bags can be deflated to allow the
: hull to dry. If you don't allow the hull to dry, stuff grows
: inside, and gets really gross (as well as damaging the boat.)

: There have been discussions about this before on this forum, and
: float bags really are the best option. You can even make your
: own for a very low cost, using water-proof nylon with a
: heat-sensitive glue on one side.

: StephenHJ