Well, the Stitch and Glue session was a success. The hull received 9oz tape on all inside seams, 6 oz cloth on the exterior, and 6 oz cloth on the interior of the cockpit. The side panels were purposely built 1/4 inch too high, so that the deckless hull could be properly waterproofed for a hydrostatic test.

Some explanation: This boat design has never seen water. During the design phase, various methods were used to determine the fore/aft position of the paddler. The trouble is, I plan on installing an ocean cockpit. With a keyhole cockpit, there are a few inches of  room for adjustment of the paddler position. The paddler can ooch forward to get the kayak to turn better, or sit further back for better tracking. With the ocean cockpit, there is very little room for adjustment. So, I need to verify the paddler position.

The plan is to take the boat to the testing tank to see if it sits on its lines.  Well, the testing tank turned out to be Hundred Acre Pond in Mendon, NY. The local paddling club had a meeting there, which provided plenty of pairs of eyes to judge trim.
 
 

I have added temporary deckbeams for support during the trial. All of the deckbeams feature a line that goes around the outside of the hull, so that proper shape is maintained.

There is a trial masik, and markings on a piece of tape to gauge the results. I have added deck stringers to simulate the deck hump of a finished kayak. I covered the boat with a temporary deck of .003 polyethylene sheet.

It floats! The waterline is where it was expected, but the seating position needed to be moved by about 3/4 inch to achieve level trim. Sorry about the grainyness of the photos; The sun was going down, so I had to do some major adjustments to the JPG file.

A view from the side.

For comparison, alongside a Romany.