> dan, boy are you going to have a lot of info to enjoy processing,the clc18 is a fine choice,I paddle a clc 16 and weigh 180. One thing to realistically consider is how often you are going on 3 wk trips. If this boat is only for 3wk trips and 100lb payloads then it is a good size boat. If this boat is for learning (without 50-100lbs extra)and 90% day paddling (and weekends)with one or two expeditions(the other 10%) you might consider the 17 or LT18. Personally I think it is preferable to have the volume of boat appropriate to the paddler and gear that is being used most often. A friend ,225lbs,strong paddles a standard Pygmy,is in a good sized boat for his weekend paddles and occasional trips. Other thoughts,,again this is my two cents,the clc kit recommends covering the cockpit with 6ozcloth with the inside chine fillets covered with 9oz tape the length of the fillet. That leaves the bulkheaded compartment bottom only covered at the chines. IF you are carrying lots of weight in those compartments I think it would be good to have that area covered. My first boat was a Patuxent, the interior bottom was covered only at the chines, I did a lot of surf launchings and landings,after a few months I noticed dark streaks(water intrusion) in the uncovered cockpit area(covered with 2 coats of epoxy)between the glass tape on the chines. Given you intention to learn with this boat and carry weight, I would forget the light weight concerns and add an extra 5 llbs of reinforcements,ie. cover the entire inside of the hull with 6 oz,glass the deck,put an extra layer of cloth under your seat (18 in from bulkhead forward) One can easily use too much resin during the course of a standard layup by making fillets too big,not presealing the wood,etc. But if you learn to use only the amount needed (MAS resin is great for this)pre-seal the wood with a light coat,squeegee off the extra well,and make the fillets only as big as needed((make a few and break them to find out)you can save a lot of resin that would better be used elsewhere or not at all. get lots of latex gloves