My first sea kayak was a SOF that was barely 18" wide if you measured in just the right spot, before building a Night Heron with 1 inch out of the sheer amidships and 3 1/2" further out of the deck height in front of the cockpit, so I wouldn't say that I'm not used to narrow or low volume kayaks, and my feet are 10s. That's average, I think. Isn't it hard on the knees to point your toes out like that? In most kayaks I've paddled the toes point foreword, not out. Do you need to point them out because of the foot pegs? I've never paddled a kayak with foot pegs for any length of time, so that may be the issue. My sea kayak has a bulkhead, and creek boat does as well, but that one is adjustable and my sea kayak is fixed. My play boat- you just shove your feet in and it has one of those combination bean bag/air bladders that you pump up to lock your feet in position once you get them in. Whitewater kayaks are usually a combination of both forward AND out, but there is also the ritual of taping up the big toe with duct tape or waterproof athletic tape to hold off the blisters from rubbing on the underside of the deck (even through the neoprene booties) as long as possible, which is something sea kayakers don't do. (Gladly!) I've always read people stating shoe size and could never understand how that could have anything to do with designs.

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