I am not sure that questions about size, location, etc., are relevant or the issue here.
It's really about safety and whether or not it is at all acceptable to stow gear in the cock pit.
We can debate everything regarding size, location and all else, but we are giving advice to people who may or may not be as experienced and who will stretch and bend these ideas to suit their needs.
What everyone seems to be saying is that it is OK to store gear in the cock pit. Right?
That's a very broad statement and is subject to all kinds of interpretations especially to those who have not had to deal with lack of space before.
Any advice that we give to the ( I am happy to say) seemingly growing numbers of 'newbies' is serious in that if they follow what we say, we are responsible for the outcome.
Many things are said on these forums that provide 'expert' advice in the legal sense.
Last summer I read, and I am sure that many of you did, that a family successfully sued a paddle partner who gave advice to his less experienced buddy and who subsequently didn't finish the trip. This is a US case, but the family was successful because the court ruled that the less experienced guy would probably not have gone out except for the information that his more experience partner provided.
I am less than guessing that eventually such a case will survive the Supreme Court here.
Maybe someone can find this reported case via the internet and share this. I have been looking for hours and can't find it, but, it's not my imagination. It's there. I swear
I tried Kayaker vs Kayaker but to no avail
For the record, I am saying that it is not OK to store gear in a cockpit. Gear belongs in the hatches and at the very worst on deck.
My third, though probably not my last, rant
Trouble if you look for it,
Outsider