> Jerry,

> My wife and I have been paddling a Mill Creek 13 for approximately 1 1/2
> years. In general it performs better than all roto-molded and many glass
> kayaks I have been around. The primary places it has been paddled is on
> Tomales and the SF bays(wind and choppy conditions). We have been caught
> in upto 3ft waves and survived without a capsize (though, it was a scarey
> event).

> No banging of knuckles, but occassional rubbing of the paddle on the
> rubrail. I paddle it with a greenland style paddle and my wife with an
> approx. 88" long paddle having a short-wide blade.

> 2. With the flat bottom, does it tend to lean to one side

> No, never noticed the tendancy to lean. However, the MC 13 responds well
> to edging. I use edging to remain on course in side winds, but also in
> following seas.

> 3. If you have used fiberglass cloth inside and out on both

> I only glassed the outside of the hull with 4oz. Seems to be holding up
> well, but I intend to attach a short (approx. 12-16") tapered oak
> rubstrip to the stern because of the wear that has developed.

> 4. Has anyone built one with the cheaper

> I built the hull out of 1/4" exterior fir plywood and the deck
> 1/8" Okume. It started off as an experiment and I did not want to
> waste expensive wood. I went light on the glass and epoxy, so the weight
> did not substantially increase. The specific weight of wood is less than
> epoxy and glass...

> Any information

> The CLC slat seat design is beautiful, but they are the most uncomfortable
> things. My advice is don't waste your time building one. There are better
> solutions in Chris' book that can be easily adapted and take less time to
> build.

> willy

> Thanks, Jerry Brown

Willy, Thanks for your information about your experience with the Mill Creek 13. If you have used 1/4 fir for the hull an 1/8 Okume for the deck and you have glassed only the exterior, how much would you say your Mill Creek weighs now? Less than 40 pounds or more? Jerry