I’ll wait but I bet they need to go and the guy at the shop told me I would probably file them down.
I see where they would probably be cut on this groove.
I’ll get them to do it after I paddle it a bit because I would think they file
It smooth
I tape the area to be cut to avoid chipping the edge. Then draw the cutoff line on the tape even with the edge of the cockpit. A Dremel tool with an abrasive wheel but wear a mask to protect your lungs while cutting. You can cut proud of the line then file down to the edge, Then sand to smooth and round the edge of the cut.
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I don’t envision you as old and puny.
Yes, that is where I cut mine. You could also just reduce the thigh brace part way and just make it smaller. Maybe cut it back halfway and try it out before removing more.
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DON’T cut those (thigh braces) off until you have a bit of time in the boat, doing wet exits and lots of edging and rolling. They are there to provide better contact/control of the boat for edging/rolling. The open space in between the thigh braces is the “key hole” that allows you to get one leg out at a time, relatively easy, when you sitting in the boat rightside up. If you are upside (capsized), pull the skirt, push you palms on the sides of the coaming, and you should be able to slide right of the cockpit with your legs relatively straight. If you can’t do this, then you may want to consider doing something about the thigh braces.
In comparison, an “ocean cockpit” that characterizes most Greenland boats would be a smaller opening. Think of drawing a line connecting the bottom line of your thigh braces, and getting rid of that opening in between the braces. That would be the size of an ocean cockpit. That open (“keyhole”) space between your thigh braces would be part of the deck in front of your coaming in an “ocean” cockpit.
Cutting off the thigh braces is easy. Rebuilding these is much harder.
sing
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Discussion and comparison of “keyhole” vs. “ocean” cockpit:
This is a past effort of mine to make a foam “masik” which would effectively reduced the size of my “keyhole” cockpit to an “ocean” cockpit. I personally find an ocean cockpit more conducive to edging and rolling (particularly to the variations of Greenland rolls) and thus, for me, more “safe” for rougher water paddling.
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ing
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Here is a boat a friend in FL let me paddle. He liked it in the surf and had it tricked out. It is an older rotomolded Valley Skerry with a modified cockpit and no thigh braces. I had to sit on the deck with my legs already straight out in the cockpit to enter. I really like what he did with the foam.
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Good, that’s why I never include sef-photos.
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Interesting cockpit and set up. That cockpit is not an “ocean” size but looks smaller than the 32-34" long keyholes that seem prevalent these days.
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It’s called a modified ocean cockpit like my kayak, and legs go in before you can sit in the seat.
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Be cautious when replacing or retrofitting the seat in a low volume kayak. The only time I ever capsized one of my kayaks (which are all low volume like your new one) in calm water was on a day that I had added a 1" thick foam seat pad on top of the seat. Just that little bit of elevation was enough to change my center of gravity. I had been paddling that boat for 8 years in all kinds of conditions, had a very good feel for it’s stability range and never capsized, but all it took was my turning slightly with my paddle out of the water to look behind me when one of my companions shouted and I was instantly in the drink.
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Always called that size a Slalom cockpit.
1" is a lot. I could feel 1/4" lower in my kayaks
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I had a Seaward Endeavor years ago with the slalom cockpit. Nice kayak, but i would have eventually needed two shin transplants.
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He says “always check the size of the cockpit”
I guess I did?
It’s one leg at a time but I think that is how I get in my CD, there was just more room
I suspect the thigh braces might need a trim eventually but that won’t change much
Also I need a paddle float
It has paddle keepers of soft strapping on the back deck which I like (need)
It feels tight getting in!
I am 65 kg (145) and 5’10
My husband is 85 kg (195) and 6 ft
I hope I can get out under water 
I haven’t had time for that and the water was very cold since all the snow just melted more quickly than earlier this summer. It was too hot (80F) and I didn’t bring the wetsuit expecting warmer water since last month it was 67 ish
Too bad I can’t take this boat to San Clemente this week 
but such is reality on planes.
I wanted to show this modular to Willowleaf
(This is the shop owner where I bought mine)
It was tempting but I don’t have the guts
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You need to stay out of kayak shops but so do most of us.
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It’s quite amazing really
I could be checking it for free on this trip too
Those baggage handlers would be throwing it around though, I could not handle that
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