Hi Eric,

That tends to be a personal issue driven by the paddler/builder. Many times it's driven by the spray skirt a builder already has and the desire to not buy more equipment. As a strength issue the smaller the hole in a boat the stronger the over hull strength is. I find that I now prefer a small cockpit as it helps with bracing and reduces the possibility of spray skirt implosion. I have two boats with an ocean size small cockpit @ 18" long by 16" wide best guess. I don't find the cockpit size to be an issue getting out so much as getting in. When you wet exit gravity helps a lot. My next boat (current project) will have an even smaller coaming more traditional to true inuit design.

Hope this helps.

Kent