Since this thread is already developing, I won't bother with jumping over to the Techniques BBS.

I think you have to have some paddling experience to know at least what type of kayak you want to build. I didn't paddle any Chesapeake 17's before I built mine, but I paddled soft and hard-chine boats, both longer and shorter, wider, and narrower. At a minimum, I would think that some in-boat experience would be valuable as an aid to determining what traits are important to you. Then, when reading a kayak review, the specifics are more easily related to.

Once you get into boat-building, as Pete said, your first boat probably won't be your last. Boatbuilding in and of itself is highly rewarding, and limiting yourself to a single boat causes you to limit your hobby to a single experience, that once finished, can't be experienced again. If you're serious about the kayaking as well, progressing to a more refined or advanced design is probably inevitable. Your tastes and needs will change as your skills and experience evolve.

Recreational paddlers that just approach boat-building probably just see it as a means to a toy that can be topped on the RV and paddled around leisurely at the campsite. These types of paddlers would buy a Keowee, a Kiwi, a poke boat, or a Grumman aluminum or Coleman Ram-X canoe for such a purpose anyway, so there is no reason we should begrudge them a beautiful wooden boat.

You are right, though; a danger lies in the recreational kayaker that fancies him or herself an expedition boater. "Now I have an expedition kayak, so I am ready for the West coast of Vancouver Island."

I have been paddling for only 2 years, but I feel I am almost ready for the open ocean. I have been practicing rolls in the pool for the last 2 winters, and I have had a lot of experience with (fresh water) wind and boat waves. I am just getting to the point where I know what I really like and don't like about my boat. (To the hull designer's credit--most of my dislikes are cosmetic) I don't think that even 1 or 2 intense test-paddles would have been enough to really objectively decide not only that I like the boat, but what I really did or didn't like about it.

I must agree with you, paddling experience is crucial, and there is no substitute for it. As sea-kayakers and builders, we definitely need to get all the on-water time we can get, and encourage others to develop good paddling, navigation, and rescue skills. Attending a regional boat show is often way out of the question for a lot of inland builders. What to do then? Making your own boat available to prospective builders is about the only option I can think of.

Shawn

> 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