I have been building the CLC 18 LT and have been quite satisfied with the instructions and plans. It may have made a difference that I had already purchased and read both the Kulczycki (sp?) and Shade books. Part of the fun of building has been puzzling over potential design modifications, which sometimes required doing things in a different way or different order from the instructions. Making the instructions much more detailed could make them cumbersome and defeat these urges to innovate....

> I have to vent some frustration. I can't stand the instructions provided
> by CLC for my chesapeake 17'. There are two manuals and a set of plans and
> you have to jump through all three sources to begin each step. How hard
> would it be to include a checklist of each step in order of completion
> along with notes to refer pages withing the other books? People buying
> these plans and kits are not boat builders, they are marketed to
> non-professionals and should be written as such. It is possible that
> everything you need to know is contained in the package but it should not
> be so difficult to find. I contacted CLC on Step 1 of the plans, scarfing
> hull blanks. Chris's response was that I should remember this should be
> fun and not to get frustrated. The bottom line is this I'm not an idiot
> and I spend more time trying to figure out what to do next than I do doing
> it. The manuals and plans for the Chesapeake 17' are not user friendly and
> should be re-written. CLC should remember that a disgruntled customer is
> ten times more likely to tell people their opinions than a satisfied one,
> and here's the proof.

> That feels better, Dan

> P.S. I will continue to use this board as my source for info because at
> least you answer me without telling me to read more and relax. thanks for
> the help.