The cockpit of my Night Heron is 16 x 18, and I have reduced the height of the deck in front of the kayak over 3" and I have no problem entering my kayak at 6' 185 with size 10 shoes. You just enter it differently. Not all kayaks are intended to be entered dupa first. Both the Night Heron and Petryl are high performance kayaks, and you would eventually be disappointed if you built them under the presumption that a rec boat is the most comfortably-sized kayak. Along the same lines- make sure that you're choosing your kayak based on its performance characteristics, not its potential cockpit fit! There's lots of great paddling in your area- especially beyond the Huron river. A kayak design like a Night Heron will open up the Great Lakes as a possibility for you as well. That's when things will start getting fun...

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