Jon,

I have some ideas for dealing with cockpit and deck. The 24" beam is actually fine for kids, they are usually more stable than adults, especially in a flat bottomed boat like that. If it gets too wide they have a hard time paddling. The length should be okay for bigger kids. Shortening it shouldn't be too much of a problem, as it is such a simple design. That rocker should make it easy to turn, but without the skeg, it will track like a whitewater kayak.

You might also want to check out Glen-L's Kidyak, shown in the pic below. It is 9' by 22".

Roy Underhill also has plans in his book (The Woodwright's Ecclectic Workshop) for a kid's canvas kayak that can be built in an afternoon. It could also be adapted for plywood construction.

Mike

: Mike, you are absolutely right about that atrocious box. It ruins an
: otherwise good boat. But that is not the reason I have not considered it.
: As you said, that can be modified. I think it may too long (12+ft) and
: too narrow (24in) for kids. It might be a good boat for me though.
: If I don't come up with anything, I may just consider shortning it,
: and widening it a bit, and maybe remove some of that rocker. I don't really
: understand the purpose of all that rocker. I have never seen a kayak of this
: length, with that much rocker. What do you think?
: Thanks for your help.
: Jon