Remove rail before bonding kayak together and protect the attachment points from epoxy with some masking tape. If you like to build everything from scratch, foot braces are a good project. These are mostly from carbon fiber with Teflon slides. The left foot peg is adjustable and the right one is for rudder. If you are not into making these little parts, Yakima footbraces make a great substitute.
Some builders drill through the kayak to attach the footbraces .
This is completely unnecessary in wood strip kayaks. This photo illustrates a piece of mahogany bonded right above the sheerline for holding the screws and the home built rail. A bulkhead will be put in next.