Foam bulkheads
I have one boat with a foam bulkhead and my others have foot pegs. Many people put a horseshoe shaped foam bulkhead in so they have a space in the center to stretch a foot if you ever want to do that. I like foot pegs and one thing is when you do - or practice a rentry and roll, it’s a faster entree if you slide in past the footpegs deep and come back to the backband before doing the roll. On a padded bulkhead arrangement it slows down the process. Not really a big issue but something I found out.
Interesting comment
I too slide forward and come back to the footpegs on a re-entry and roll. Never thought about this being restricted in a foamed out bulkhead. However, I still prefer to roll rather than re-enter and roll 
~wetzool
I think
This may make a difference on what boat you may be paddling? My boat has a foamed out bulkhead and I actually think it’s faster entering the boat on a reentry and roll than having footpegs. Maybe it’s because I have my backband totally relaxed…it’s not firmed up, so it never gets in my way. But in all actuality, I found to not even worry about the foot placement. Get in the boat, place your thighs and roll. Don’t need your feet to roll the boat.
Last 2 boats we got the footpegs were the first thing to go.
bless you salty
as always, the voice of reason!!
Lyn
Of footpegs and foam
I remove the footpegs in all our boats and foam out the bulkheads. I find this much more comfortable. With the foam in place I can straighten out my legs to stretch, and if I turn my feet a little outward and push a little on my toes I am locked up under the thigh braces.
As for the backband, I took a course with Ben Lawry last year, and as part of the course we loosened our backbands to allow more freedom of movement. I like the feeling so much that I removed the backbands in all my kayaks and I find this much more comfortable, and there is nothing in the way when I need to re-enter.
I have to add that I too don’t see the need of foot pressure to roll, a light pressure under the thigh braces and up you come…
Foam and wet re-entries
I have also found that having footpegs makes for a faster re-entry, because I can just shoot in forward of the footpegs then slide back. But that’s because most sea kayaks are plenty wide for my hips, even the smaller sized ones. If my hips were a tighter fit that wouldn’t provide any advantage.
The other thing that helps is a taller front deck. Even with the foam blocks and the thigh braces padded down, my Vela is a less thoughtful wet re-entry than the Explorer LV because the front deck is higher.
I think what makes that work easier is that more of the forward part of the boat is actually in the water than in the LV when it is upside down. I’ve had the experience of thinking I was seated well in the LV and finding out not so whan I went for the roll - had to stop and jam in a little better. But by the same token, there is a whole lot less water in the cockpit when I come up in the LV than in the Vela - viable to just skirt up and paddle in w/o pumping if I had to.
All that said, the relative lack of pain in my feet and up the sciatic nerve, as well as the warmer feet, from the foam blocks is well worth any amount of extra time spent getting a smoother wet re-entry.
… and Ben teaches rolling without …
foot contact at all - at least that’s what he made my class do - no footpeg or bulkhead contact. 
Fixing the Problem…
All very good comments. Thanks. I am going to stick with pegs for now…may change my mind in the future.
So back to how to fix this problem…I really don’t want to re-tap any holes, etc.
So what would be best…adding some washers, sticking some minicell foam in between? That is what I am trying to figure out…what is the best solution?
And…do I need to seat the screw heads or anything like that to prevent leakage?
thanks
Matt
no they do not…not any more
"Nigel Dennis Sea Kayaks Ltd have officially changed their trading name to Sea Kayaking UK Ltd"
hmmmmmmmmm
i tried to get my tempest built without
any foot peg/tracks so that there were no hole in the boat when i pulled the pegs-i was planning on the doing that…but they said no…
my build was in the midst of the move and transfer so it seemed a bit much to ask…(not in my mind tho-less work!) maybe if i had flatpick request that for me then…ah well…9" of foam in my tempest (short legs)…
rob
Take the rails out …
and inspect them and the hardware and the mating surfaces, the fix may be obvious. Sometimes there is an o’ring seal between the hull and the screw head.
So what’s the problem?
– Last Updated: Apr-09-07 1:49 PM EST –
Unless you back out the screws and try the rails off the boat, how do you know what the problem is. Does NDK use Yakima aluminum ones? or plastic? Yakima rails allow the screw to pass all the way through which would not make a long screw bottom out. LIke someone else mentioned, there might be a pimple or lump in the glass under the rail making it teeter or rock on it which would feel loose even though the rails are cranked down tight. In that case, yes. you could put a stainless washer or two under the rail, but it would probably be just as easy so sand the surface smooth. If it's too long of a screw on a rail that will bottom out, grind them shorter and taper the ends a bit - round and soften the ends. The ones for plastic rails usually have a weird agressive thread that you can't find at boating stores.
I would think that you are going to have to remove them to see what's really happening. As far as sealing the screws from water, anything will do. Silicone calk, bathroom calk, teflon plumbers tape, chewing gum. Once that screw is tight, water infiltration is really not an issue.
move the bulkhead?
Instead of 9" of foam why not move the bulkhead towards your feet? Whether it is fiberglass or plastic it should not be that difficult.
that was even less of an option for WS
would have been nice…but i have the foam setup so that it is easily removeable in the case that i decide to pass the boat on…
not a bad thing…
i can pack a whole lot into it for a trip anyhow so a wee bit more space was not an issue…
i am also comforted by the idea that i am not pressing directly on the glass bulkhead…the foam provides some give to reduce and spread that pressure…but i am not planning on doing a cartwheel in this boat…
r
Yakima rails
NDK uses Yakima rails.
Back the screws out. Remove the rails and check for uneveness on the inside of the hull where the rails seat.
I found I had to use WD40 to get all four screws out. The rails in my Aquanaut and Romany had washers (maybe neoprene plumbing washers?) between the rails and the inside of the boat.
I left the rails out of the Aquanaut and filled the screw holes. I put the rails back in the Romany as I sometimes use it as a guest boat (the foot pegs rest against the foam on the bulkhead.)
thanks salty
– Last Updated: Apr-09-07 3:07 PM EST –
Some of the rest of you need to take a breath, or if you really feel that way, contact nigel.
I have a greenlander standard, 4 years old. Purchased after a demo and once-over, no subsequent problems. Layup is particularly stiff, gelcoat is practically flawless, seat bucket is solid, hatches are waterproof, coaming is finished, and the boat was unmarked after falling from my ceiling to the floor. Some of you guys make me feel like I won the lottery ;)
I also purchased a demo Valley Pintail. Another great boat, and I love it. But the gelcoat is cracked above all three bulkheads, the layup is light, and the standard backband is an inexcusable P.O.S.
Last I knew, the dealer installed footpegs.
Salty's point is a great one. We all know what we get with NDK. Buyer beware, and if possible inspect your boat, and inspect any dealer adds (like footpegs). If there is a QC issue - and with NDK it seems like the rate of occurrence is higher - then by ll means play hardball with NDK. But there is no reason to make hasty blanket statements for something which may have been caused by a dealer.
And, It REALLY Is An “Easy Fix…”
Problem:
I found out what the problem was…I was confused as to why they were loose despite the screws being tight…
Well as it turns out the screws were only tight because they were fixed with loctite…but they were never tightened down…just loctited into position loose.
I now have a problem becuase I can’t get one of the screws out. It is absolutely stuck…I broke a screw driver trying to get it out and now the screw head is stripped as well. It is now stuck there…loose.
I guess the screw can be drilled out…don’t know how to do this but will have to go down to Lowes and ask. I am sure they can sell me whatever I need to do this. Not sure if the stainless bolts will be harder to drill out than a normal bolt.
Matt
No
Harder than most screws or bolts. Just look inside the cockpit, measure the diameter of the bolt with your drill bit and drill from the outside…they’ll pop right off.
Stainless screws
Just be very careful, when drilling stainless it can get red hot verrrrry fast and it might burn the fiberglass around the hole…
Dan