: I am also concerned with the cockpit opening. Some of the plastic ones I have
: used have openings that seemed small, making it harder to get into. None
: of the descriptions I have read online state the cockpit opening
: dimensions. Is this something that can be adjusted during construction?

If you build a stitch and glue from a kit, you will likely find that the
cockpit size is already decided for you, but anything you build from plans,
you can remodel the cockpit to any size or style you feel you will be happy
with. People tend to like big keyhole-shaped cockpits for whitewater, as it
makes wet exit very reliable if you need it - which you might if you are
being washed down a rocky river bashing your face into boulders ! For calmer
waters, and the deep sea, even if you capsize for some reason, you have lots
more time to get out (with the aid of gravity) and a smaller cockpit is often
a lot nicer - even if it is a bit harder to get into in the first place. A
boat that fits tightly around you is usually easier to roll, thus rendering
a wet exit superfluous. For those paddling in the sea with breaking waves, a
small cockpit is a good thing, as it reduces the chance that a big wave will
implode the spraydeck, but I guess this is not the sort of paddling you are
looking at :-)

Most designs have a compromise cockpit in the 30" sort of length, which for
most people means you can sit down and then get your feet in - which is a
stable way of entering the boat. With a smaller cockpit, you sit on the aft
deck and slide both feet ahead of you then sit down. My cockpit is about 23"
long (less inside the coaming), and I can assure you that it is possible both
to wet exit quickly, and to get back into the boat in a deep water rescue !
(I'm 5'7", so perhaps just a little smaller than average). The advantage of
a small cockpit is that your knees are right under the deck, which makes it
easy to arrange comfortable bracing. You can also put your chart under the
bungies on the forward deck and read it without straining to lean right
forward. One alternative is a chart case which clips to the spraydeck, but
that rather limits the size of map you can use.

If you make your cockpit big and find you regret it later, you can remove
the coaming and strip a recess in which to cut a smaller cockpit. If you
make it too small and want it bigger, you can remove it and cut a bigger hole.
With a home-built wooden boat, everything is under your control :-)

Andy