: From recent postings it looks like I may have the cockpit a little large.

I don't think it is too large for lake use. You might want to go even larger! If you want to fish, or take pictures from the kayak it is convenient to have a nice large cockpit opening. With slightly arthritic knees you'll not want to go through contortions to get into the boat. Small cockpit openings are for keeping out the water when the waves are high and the water is cold. A good compromise is a large cockpit and a good sprayskirt.

If you want more stability, consider flattening the floor a bit more so it is more like a shallow "V" shape than a smooth half of an oval. The slightly sharper keel line will give a tiny improvement to tracking. Going with a tighter radius where the floor hits the sidewalls will also give you more distinct separation between sides and bottom--and should also help with stability.

Don't try to match the length of your boat to the car you carry it on. That puts too many constraints on the boat design. There are plenty of racks commercially available, or you can construct your own, which will support a longer boat. The way things are going with gasoline prices in a few years you'll still have the boat, but your car will be considerably smaller and more fuel efficient.

Just my thoughts.

PGJ