: Brian,

: It would be hard to argue that a small cockpit is not more seaworthy than a
: large one. If the spray skirt fails or comes off, a small hole in your
: boat sure beats a big one. Still, white water kayaks with large cockpits
: seem to work well in very challenging conditions. Problems with water
: tight integrity are very rare events as are leg entrapments. Both exist
: however. Cockpit size is a personal decision. Learn all you can and then
: make the choice that seems best for your needs and preferences.

By any measure a small cockpit will be more seaworthy. But do they need to be more seaworthy? Everything being equal, a 35 lb kayak will be faster than a 35.5 lb kayak. But, the weight difference will probably not be the determining factor for winning races. I think this is the kind of "seaworthiness" difference we are talking with the different cockpit sizes generally in use. There are times where the small change will make a difference, but there are other more common sources of problems that should be probably addressed first.