Howard

I take on board everything you say in your post, this is also the sort of comment I was half expecting - but not necessarily hoping for maybe. Like you I get a lot of value out of the actual building and I think I've come too far with this project to really want to start messing about with it now - I am more than happy with the way it looks - just disappointed with myself for not realising it might not work for me, even if I had stuck with the original cockpit design!

It helps enormously to talk to other like minded people, and share thoughts and experiences. I checked out the nighthawk and other designs by Mark Rogers and, along with the NDK Romany John talked about, can see that it's not unusual to have the kind of measurements that I now have with my Resolute. You're right that it may well not work for me, but equally it just might. So I will end up with two boats at different ends of the spectrum, and from here - like you - put it down to experience and make a more informed decision about what to build next.

Mick, thanks for clarifying your suggestion to raise the front part of the recess to gain more clearance, those thoughts had been going through my mind - even the weird route! I had considered cutting round the perimeter where the recess meets the deck and peeling it up like opening a tin can and filling in the resulting gap - even if it stuck up above the deck at the front! As the coaming is finished this would save a lot of work, but............what on earth would it end up looking like!

Perhaps I should finish the boat as it is first, try it out, and then if it's really that bad either sell it or take the saw to it and make any necessary modifications later, perhaps as described by Mick - even though it would be a bit trickier at that stage.

Phil