I would guess that's a possibility, though you'd have to make more than a few "minor" mods.  The cutout would certainly need to be significantly larger, thus making the deck much less stable, so you'll have to reinforce it.  The foreward bulkhead and additional coaming will help with that, and some additional fiberglass might not be a bad idea, though I think the Chessies have a pretty heavy layup already.  You may want to glass both sides of the deck in that area, and make sure you get both sides of the hull glassed there as well.

I'd say your biggest issue will be length. The 17 isn't a big boat, and there's not going to be much room for her legs if you put her that far forward.  You may have to adjust the position of the foreward cockpit such that it rests very close to foreward bulkhead.

Trim will also be an issue, though probably not much of one until she gains more weight.  With that kind of weight that far foreward, you're going to have to do some work to balance the boat evenly such that it paddles well.

Should be an interesting modification,  if not a highly recommended one.  Post pictures and progress reports if you decide to try this out.  Don't be afraid to give it a shot, just make sure you try to think of all the possibilities beforehand.  No point putting either of you in any danger when it's avoidable.

FrankP

Additionally, for what it's worth, I built my daughter (though she was a little older) her own SOF, which I attached with amas to my boat (or planned to) as a sort of outrigger that basically created a twin hull type of thing.  She had her own paddle and was attached to me at all times, plus it had the added benefit of making both boats more stable in the water. 

We never paddled that way, so I can't say it would have been a great success, but we tried it out on land and in a pool just to see how it felt.  Significant difference all around.  We also would have to have coordinated our paddle strokes a little more carefully that way, to keep a straight course and avoid banging into each other, but it had a lot of possibilities. 

Less "questionable" modifications to my boat and it gave her her own boat to grow into and decorate how she liked etc etc.  Plus, she helped build hers, which she really enjoyed.  At the time I started, she was 6 or 7.

FrankP

Thanks for the replies. I am trying to figure a way for the whole family to kayak together (myself, wife, 6yr old son, 4 year old daughter, 1 yr old daughter, although all would be at least a year older when complete). The issue is that I would like mine and my wifes to be useable as singles once the kids are oold enough for their own.

What did you build for your daughter? I am looking for a design for my 6 year old or wondered if I can scale down a larger model to fit him.

I have a 17lt. The 17 has slightly taller side panels but I think is otherwise about the same. 

FrankP's remark about the cutout having to be changed is probably right on. Unless your daughter is very small and skinny. The front hatch opening on the chesapeake is quite small and  the hull is trending very narrow there. The bottom panels also meet at an ever steepening angle approaching the bow. Of course you also lose the watertight compartment without the hatch cover, though you could stuff a float bag up there.

Rear hatch facing backwards might be more feasible?

Probably you should be sure to get a good look at a 17 first. Then take a good look at your daughter! :)

The 12' Wood Duck would not require any modifications and your (then) 2-yr-old daughter would be close at hand.  Our 2-yr-old granddaughter is a handfull.  I'd much rather be out on the water with her in a larger cockpit (eg Wood Duck) than isolated in the cramped foredeck of a Chessie 17 or 18.

Thanks again for the replies. I am new to this and just starting to investigate my options.

Lazzlo - Is the pic of a 12' Wood Duck? Do you think it would be possible to modify the cockpit on a CH 17 to be a similar size? Then it would still be a quick boat good for trips.

Maybe the Wood Duck is the best/easiest way to go.

If I was on a trip with a 2 year old, one thing I would not like is no easy access to the 2 year old.  Especially in the middle of a crossing.  So in MY opinion, putting a child in the "hatch" region of the boat where someone else would have to come over to you to get to the child...no way for me.

So, I think ootdb is right on with the larger cockpit.  My 2 year daughter would quite a handful in that hatch area. Not to mention, my daughter would never have the attention span to stay in that space for an extended period of time.  To me, the added loss of safety to the child is just too great.  If I were to capsize, the child is just too far away from me and anyone else in my party.  I'm not saying I would be in the surf or something, but my children move...alot, anything can happen.

I think staying with a rec style boat with a large cockpit is the way to go.  You can still get out with the fam, and from what I've heard, the wood duck would keep up with the others pretty good.  (You may need to build another boat eventually to replace the wood duck when she is old enough to be on her own and now you want a larger style chessie for yourself, but hey, by then you'd be itching to build another boat anyway!

Trips with a 7, a 5, and a 2 year old are going to pretty short to begin with.  So the need for a CH17 is not critical to me.

I've been think about these things myself, so I'm quite curious to see how others have figured out how to make it work for them.   Can't wait to see which way you go.  Happy paddling! 

Yes, that's a Wood Duck 12 and the photo is straight from CLC's photo gallery. They had some in there illustrating exactly what ootdb was suggesting, so I thought it'd be worth posting it here.

I just happen to have a picture of my WD12's coaming overlaid onto my wife's CH16LT. You can see that the opening is huge. It's bigger than the gap between the deckbeam and the rear bulkhead, so if you did this you'd have to make adjustments to their positions and spacing. It would also go down pretty much to the shearclamps on the sides, possibly causing some assembly challenges there, too.

As far as a quick boat good for trips, you could do a lot worse than the WD12. I've done 22 miles in a single day in mine and had it up to over 6 mph GPS (though 4 is my normal cruising speed). I had it out in less than perfect weather (including a small craft advisory) and its cargo load has to be seen to be believed. It's stable and even surfs powerboat wakes.

Laszlo