> Start with more books. [snip]
> Check this board for links to various companies and individuals who design
> stitch and glue boats so you can see stats on them, and check the price of
> the plans. [snip]
> There are other options: Wood strip and Skin on Frame construction. [snip]
> There are workshops held around the world where you can pay a fee for
> materials and build your own boat under the guidance of an expert.

Paul's points are all very good segments in a boat selection checklist. But, reading his response, I'm wondering if most potential builders of either S&G or strip built kayaks have ever actually paddled their chosen boat before they build it. Of if they've ever even paddled kayaks before.

I'm in the process of building my first S&G --- a CLC North Bay --- but I've been sea paddling for over eight years, and would never consider buying a kayak I hadn't paddled in various sea conditions to actually determine how it works and, more importantly, how effectively I function in that particular boat. Living in the Annapolis, Maryland area, I have the distinct advantage of being able to paddle virtually any CLC boat at least once a month during the summmer, and plan to attend CLC's Okumestock next month, so experience in specific models and subjective judgments on my dynamic interface with these boats has never been a problem. (Made my decision to build the North Bay a no-brainer.) But none of my regular paddling buddies or I would possibly consider making the investment necessary to purchase a composite boat, for example, without going to one or more of the national or regional paddling shows and working all potential boat options hard on open water before making a choice. Maybe it's the marginal relative cost of plans and materials or the cost of a kit that draws people to choose a specific boat through reading about boats or relying on the opinions of others, but, as a moderately experienced paddler, I can't understand or appreciate the logic here. Basically, ya' gotta paddle a boat to know if it's right for you.

When Chris Kulczycki told me that a significant proportion of his kits and plans were sold to people with no paddling experience whatsoever, I was really amazed. Now, having spoken with some of these folks in preparation for the Chesapeake Paddler Association's "newbies'" workshop later this month, I can appreciate this fact a lot better. (There are a lot of folks paddling S&G boats with virtually no training in even the basics of sea paddling.) But I still have a lot of trouble with the idea of choosing a boat soley from a thorough search of the paddling media --- and, again, I don't mean this as a put down of the excellent points that Paul made in his response. I just think that one awfully important point is missing: the individual's personal reaction to the boat, to the way it paddles, to how he or she feels in the boat, and to how he or she feels they look in the boat --- an important subjective element, as well.

The opportunities to paddle prototype boats are there, but, obviously, they will be relatively more available for some than for others. But options are still there. If at all possible, add paddling the chosen model to your personal checklist on a first boat decision, and definitely get some formal or informal training in sea kayaking if you're also a first-time paddler.

Maybe that's just me, but I guess this point segues into another question: just how much actual paddling experience and training do we, as wooden boat builders, typically have in sea paddling? And if the answer is "not much", what do we do about that fact? I know that this probably opens up issues which belong on another forum, but maybe it's worth considering at least as an off-BBS topic.

Jack Martin