I just use the standard cockpit opening pattern and then extend a tangent line out front and back to create a triangular recess at each end. The recess will work best if it comes to a hard angle at the peak of the deck.

: I am lofting the plans for my second stripper, a Great Auk. I am planning on
: using the cockpit recess like on my Guillemot 17. Is the recess long
: enough for the larger Auk cockpit? Cypress is the primary wood that I will
: be using.( Got it free from a saw mill.) Also I am thinking of making the
: Auk a foot longer. Is there anything that may jump up and bite me in the
: foot? Oh yeah, I am using Nick's book "The Strip Built Kayak"
: for my drawings. It worked great on my first yak.