: It's been a while since I posted an update about this build. Lots has been
: happening -- most notably, the last step that we did was lower the deck of
: the kayak.

: Maddie and I were looking that the approximate height of the cockpit coaming
: and decided that the front of the underside of the deck is too high for
: Maddie to properly fit out snuggly without having to install huge thigh
: brace pads. From the bottom of the hull to the underside of the deck at
: the coaming front is 13 5/16" -- quite high. The answer of course is
: to drop the height of the deck so that's exactly what we did.

: The dropping the rear of the coaming isn't such a big deal and I have a
: pretty good idea how to do this, but the front deck is a bit trickier. So
: I called my pal Mick Allen (long-time contributor to this board) who just
: happens to not only know a bit about kayaks but also knows 3D CAD
: programs. Mick came over to the shop, ran around the boat with a tape
: measure, went home and e-mailed me some measurements the next day. I
: transfered those measurements to the panels, used a batten to connect the
: dots, and cut them.

: The lowering of the deck turned out quite well -- I think that anyone who is
: not familiar with the original design of the boat will have a difficult
: time determining that the original panels were altered.

: The boat will definitely be a lot easier to pad out for my daughter now.

: Here's a link to the start of the modification in the build journal:
: http://www.westcoastpaddler.com/building/displayimage.php?album=17&pos=88

: The drawing below shows the amount that was removed from the deck as well as
: the cockpit coaming recess.

: Dan
: -----

I think it looks better with the lower deck anyway

Bill H.