Brian, I was studying plans today and am looking at drawing 21a. In the top left corner ( view from aft ) I see two supports for deck. Is this the 4 inch raise in the deck everyone is talking about or is it 4 more inches above that.
Nope ... check step #4 in the drawings. Those supports just support the drywell - they rest on top of the deck - not required but if you use the removable front panel concept, with the bilge being wide open behind the removable panel, then those two side 'supports' just add walls on the left/right to keep stuff on the deck from rolling around and ending up in the bilge. You can leave them out if you are using a deckplate for bilge access since the deckplate will prevent stuff from falling into the bilge.
To raise the deck, people add additional wood right on top of the cockpit area stringers before putting the deck in - not a bad idea, especially if you slope the deck towards the stern to assist the cockpit in being self-bailing. If you have plywood with a natural warp, this is a good place to use it too ... put the crown upwards and it'll help water drain to either side of the cockpit deck, and then aft to the scuppers.
Brian