I just took the big plunge, punched my Skill saw through the deck and cut out the cockpit. That was a tramatic experience, but I found (with the deck on the line)that I actually cut more accurately with my Skill saw than I generally do with my band saw. This is my first boat, so the next time won't be so quite as exciting. One thing I did differently than I have seen other people do is that I stripped completely over the cockpit, then glassed both sides before cutting out the cockpit (I went with a keyhole shape). Now I have a solid cover that is going to fit inside the cowling for storage and for transportation. Now for a nice glass of vino!