wow....that sucks ...having to order a custom skirt.

i have built quite a few strip builts from plans and have not had any difficulty finding skirts on CLC's web site which has an 'off-the-shelf'' skirt available for almost every design....including strip-builts.   

now, my comment does not mean that all the skirts are the same size, just that there are a collection of common sizes so a custom skirt is typically not necessary.

if you are trying to re-use equipment between different strip builts, you can always tweak the coaming design to match one that you already have.....which minimizes the number of skirts you need to cover your fleet...but even mass produced boats require different skirt sizes....so there is no 'universal mass buiilt boat skirt that will fit everything out there.

my only other comment, is the higher end neophrene skirts do have quite a bit of range in them.  what was the skirt material you ordered?

h

   We assume your cocpit was in the 31" to 33" long range? 

   The easiest path is to simply trace the rim of a mass produced boat whose rim is of the desired dimensions (length + width) for your build.     Transfer that shape onto two pieces of thick cardboard or thin plywood and cut out both pieces.  One piece will serve as the pattern for the outer rim of the cockpit opening.  Take the second piece and trace a line about 1.125" inside.   After cutting along that line you will have a pattern for the opening you will cut in your deck.    Seals has an extensive sizing chart  at https://www.sealsskirts.com/sizing/sizing.php   

   I forgot to mention that the Seals sizing chart I mentioned in my previous post has a long list of CLC boat kits and the corresponding Seals skirt that will fit the cockpit rim of the boat.   Recently, I have built three CNC Vembers (cnckayaks.com) - two singles and a tandem.   In order to minimize the number of different sprayskirts our family owns, I used the shape of my TideRace cockpit as the pattern for all four rims.   By the way, if you want to build a cockpit rim using carbon fiber and fiberglass, I strongly recommend the approach described in the OneOceanKayaks build manual (http://www.oneoceankayaks.com/cgi-bin/web_store/web_store.cgi.    I have used it very successfully four times.

   Yes, so one of the builds is a Shearwater Sport and putting that in the Seals size chart it says - made to order. So I did order a nylon skirt ,They have the pattern already. The other build is a strip built baidarka and I made the cockpit very similar size on the inside but the outside is a little different. 36 1/4" x 19 1/2" vs. The shearwater at 37 1/8" x20 ". If I lived near an outfitter I would bring the boat there and try some on but I don't. I talked to the guys at Oakorchard kayak in upstate ny and gave him measurements and he suggested A seals 2.2 size and I got a cover , fits ok but not sure if that would work for a neo skirt. I guess I am not sure of the tolerances As H. said the neo will strech but I guess it is worth trying rather than spending extra on a custom one. Thanks

Tom

i typically order my skirts direct from CLC (including neophrene ones)...aww link below:

https://www.clcboats.com/shop/products/boat-gear/kayak-gear-accessories/neoprene-nylon-spray-skirt.html

in this case, they (CLC) has an 'off the shelf' neophrene skirt for the shearwater sport for $167.36 (on sale today).   so i would compare that price to the 'seals' website.

i am not sure where CLC is sourcing them from, but i have found the neophrene skirts they sell to be very good and last a long, long time.

h

   I think it would be best to measure the size of your kayak and compare it to other kayaks with similar cockpit shapes, like the one described in the thread at https://www.kayakingforums.com/threads/standard-cockpit-shape-on-strip-built-kayak.16794/.

Then, you can use that as a guide for building your strip-built boat.