It is amazing how it can take all day just to cut a few pieces of wood. It is also amazing how you can use every clamp you have available when it comes time to glue up those pieces! I spent a good seven hours milling out ledgers for all the stringers that support the deck, though some of them had been made yesterday. At the bow I am once again departing from the plans using more stringers or using a "T" section stringer at the forward hatch openings. This T-Astragal (used with French doors on the fixed door) is ideal. It remains light weight but is beefy. The hatches I'm planning on using are an 8 inch round hatch from Hobie Cat for the bow compartment and a rectangular 12x22 outside dimensions for kayaks in the compartment shown on the plans with the forward hatch. Both hatches are said to be watertight and both are available from Austin Canoe and Kayak on the web. I'll put them on a slightly raised level lip so that I can put a snap on canvass cover over them.