Thanks to all for your thoughts.

I'll build the deck flush and see how it looks.

A greenland style ocean cockpit could be a good option, although whether it'll be a bit much to ask to slide my 6'2" frame through a small hole and into an already shallow boat will remain to be seen. My thoughts behind the hard skirt were to gain the benefit of an ocean cockpit, but while retaining some of the convenience (for my long legs) of a larger keyhole or touring cockpit.

I do not have a perfect roll by any stretch - in fact I have never managed to roll the plastic sea kayaks I have access to at all (but then neither could another more accomplished roller who tried them). That's part of the reason behind building this boat, so I can learn to roll properly in something that will also handle the 3-4m swells we get here with a little more class and panache than just bashing and crashing over them.

Sea conditions here are usually pretty rough (at least, those are the fun days!) hence my enthusiasm for minimising the cockpit opening.

I am still keen to fit a flush coaming, and this will no doubt mean incorporating some kind of drain from behind the cockpit to empty the rear deck where it is recessed for rolling.

16 strips and counting..