...for my 17' S&G VOLKSKAYAK is 28" long x 16" wide. This is considered a largish cockpit by most standards. (The designer calls this size the 'beginners' cockpit - but it sure is nice to be able to drop your butt into the seat, then lift those legs in...)
Is the cockpit on the boat you're considering shaped more like an oval, or a circle? If more circular, it just might be an 'ocean' cockpit - deliberately made quite small, and requiring a whole different approach when entering and exiting the kayak...
Bottom line - if it's free or nearly so, why not? Last fall, I had someone offer me, free gratis, an old 12', skin-on-frame 'yak, tubby hull, huge cockpit, one busted gunwale, and it leaks a little...so I took it, and have paddled it a few times on our small local pond while others tried out my VK...it floats, can be paddled in a fairly straight line, and hasn't sunk beneath me yet. Hard to knock a freebie :->))
I think that I’ll pass on the boat. It may or may not be a good boat. It may or may not fit. It may or not be a learning experience but what it is is a distraction from time that I could be in the canoe or fishing. I think that practicing boat control in the canoe was the best sugestion yet! At least get that down before I give over to the Kayak gods!
Tne canoe is a 12’ Radison that leeks a little from the bow but she’s a god boat and I can lift her and cary her by myself.
My G. to answer your question … If you cut something out you will surely weaken it.
That said … look @ the cockpit, now imagine cutting a crescent moon shape out of the foredeck. Now cut the cockpit coaming AND surrounding part of deck and slide the hole thing forwards to fit into the crescent shape.
Bond in and reglass. Viola, longer cockpit with minimal work, almost zero weight gained and strength will be back. The only ‘gap’ you will have is on the coaming which is EZ to re-create.
I have done this for several big guys who love their boats but needed a little mor room. Call me if you want.
youre right about saving the money to buy a more appropriate boat for you—OTH if you have money to waste and like to tinker with boats then by all means go ahead—just don’t expect a satisfactory result to come easy.