After cleaning up the opening for the cockpit, I glued short strips of cedar vertically around the cockpit as a combing. Next, I sanded the strips smooth and covered the outside with two layers of fiberglass. Then I trimmed the bottom inside edge and smoothed the inside surface of the combing and added another layer of fiberglass to the inside.

After marking the height of the top of the combing I trimmed it off close to its final size. Then I laminated four 1/8" x 3/8" strips of hardwood (ash and mahogany) around the combing to serve as the lip for the spray skirt. When the epoxy cured, I use my belt sander and other tools to smooth off the top of the combing and lip and sealed the works with a coating of epoxy.

I installed "cheek" plates to help support my hips while bracing and rolling. They also hold the strap for my backrest. The cheek plates were held in place with thickened epoxy and fiberglass cloth.

The hatch lips were made using pieces of plywood glued to the underside of the deck.