: Hi Mac,
: Are you going to build a solo cockpit? What size? My understanding of the
: microbootlegger is that it has an open cockpit.
: If you are going for a fairly average cockpit, figure it out as follows: Find
: the centre of balance of the boat. That is about where your crutch comes.
: Mark out where your back cockpit rim should be. That should be 4-5"
: behind your back. Then measure the height to your back deck at that point
: and decide how much you want to lower it so that the rim ends up at the
: height you want. Finally figure out how much you want to slope the recess
: to get to that point. My recess starts about 9" behind that point.
: Many don't and just recess close to the rim.
: I marked out the cockpit and then marked out the recess from there all around
: the cockpit and then planked it flat across the width of the boat, then
: drew the cockpit on the flat recess again, cut it out and proceeded to
: build the rim. I have a flat section in front of the cockpit as well, but
: its largely a matter of taste.
: JohnK

Thanks John,
I'll be maintaining the open cockpit design and position will be faithful to the design. I 'thought' recessing it would be the way to go and welcome any opinions on this matter. This is my first kayak (or is it a covered canoe?) and am hoping for a kayak-newbie-friendly boat and don't want to ask obvious questions.

Anyway, do you just eye-ball the angles and dimensions or work on the study drawing first?

-mac