: I picked up a custom stitch and glue last year for dirt cheap, and
: it turned out to be a great little kayak that fits me like a
: glove since the builder was my size. Its a pretty nice little
: yak, Greenland influence, only 20.25 inches wide with a cable
: skeg. Its only drawback is I cant layback in it no matter what I
: do, and layback rolls are my bread and butter. The deck is not
: very high, but the coaming is just too close to my back. It
: occurred to me that I could lengthen the cockpit
: to the rear, but I have no idea what new problems this might
: entail, except it may interfere with the rear deck lines. So
: here is what it looks like. Chances are high that I will never
: do the modificaton, but I figured it wouldnt hurt to get some
: opinions on how much work and trouble it would be. That ruler
: says 5 (inches) just inside the rear of the cockpit rim.

Well I've reached a decision to leave it alone. I took the kayak out and practiced rolls and rescues today and I can do layback rolls in it after all, I just cant lay back quite as far as I'd like. Al;though I've had it for a year I've only paddled it 3-4 times and this was the first time I really tested it. I did notice some difficulty doing a reverse sweep in surf, but it may be something I can adjust to. And my friend is right, it is a beautiful kayak, probably the most beautiful S&G I've ever seen. 17 feet long, 20.5 inches wide, 7 inch rear deck (plus coaming) 10.75 front deck, cable skeg. I probably should not mess with it. I appreciate the replies, I learned a lot about what I might be in for if ever change my mind or decide to build one myself.