: I think it's a brilliant idea, but I'm not sure it's practical. There are
: still many, many different size people who must be accommodated by the
: shape of their boat's cockpit--tall, skinny dudes like me want long,
: narrow cockpits. Big guys want long and wide. Some shorter people like the
: small, narrow "ocean" cockpits, and then there are the big-@$$
: "rec kayaks" that people think need sprayskirts so they can be
: just like a "fer-real" sea kayak, even though they're so huge a
: breaking wave would implode them in a heartbeat.

: Still, I'd think that manufacturers of boats and sprayskirts could agree upon
: about 6 "standard" shapes and sizes to fit universally.

: He's probably talking about neo decks. Neoprene decks actually fit better
: within a close range, but a too-big nylon skirt has a better chance of
: fitting on a too-small coaming than does a neoprene skirt. If a nylon
: skirt is too small, it will never stretch enough to fit, where a neoprene
: skirt can, (in a pinch) although entrapment of an inexperienced paddler
: could be a risk.

: Shawn

Thanks Shawn. You have built a few, did you just build cockpits as per plans?
Have you had any trouble with any particular shape, like straight sides that the skirt pops off of? This gentleman at Mountain isn't proposing one size fits all, he seems to want to limit options and would like to see cockpit and coaming designs that complement the skirts. I don't think he is even considering rec boats since as you say, the skirt is for looks (or actaully amybe warmth) As you say, entrapment could be a problem and with a very sharp curve at the front the skirt is under much more tension and it could be hard to pull it off.
I am not going to go very far with this, I would probably be happy if I knew there was a production kayak out there with the same size and shape coaming as my home built. At least I could leave a store with a skirt I knew fit and wouldn't come off at the wrong time or stay on when it needs to come off. I don't think that it's necessarily a good fit just because you can get it on but frankly, I don't have the experience to comment that much.

Jim