: I've seen cheater strips on the bow of the guillemot. But what about the
: double?
: After the first two strips the upswepted bow really torques the strips. Has
: anyone ideas on cheater strips on the double bow to ease the strain?

Go ahead and use cheater strips. I feel that very few people who look at these kayaks study how every strip was put in place. And even if they do, there is absolutely nothing wrong about using cheater strips.

: Second, what are the pros and cons of a recessed cockpit for the coaming on
: the double? I've read that it is not necessary because of the relatively
: flatter deck on the double. Does it interfear at all with paddeling?

The double's deck is fairly high, and if you are going to have paddlers much less than 6ft, I would suggest doing a recess. It really isn't necessary, but makes it much more comfortable for long days out paddling. Many people will feel that they have to hold the paddle up high, due to the depth of the cockpit. You may want to "play" around with the cockpit patterns and maybe even use a slightly modified standard double cockpit opening as the recess size and finish it off using the standard Guillemot cockpit. I would think that very few people would need a cockpit the width of what the plans indicate for the double. I did not do a recess on my double, but some day I will change it to have recessed cockpits.

Tom