> I built a MillCreek 13 last year out of 1/4 luan with a planked deck. A
> pier jetty is more stable, but not by much. It is sensitive to how I
> position my legs when it comes to stability, but with my knees under the
> cockpit, I can lean it over until I'm taking on water, and it will pop
> upright as soon as I relax. Very *very* stable boat! I haven't actually
> tried standing all the way up in it, but I bet I can.

> I don't bang my knuckles, and I have a rather high combing. But I do bang
> my paddle on the rub rail. Which is bad, as the boat makes a dandy kettle
> drum. I can paddle carefully and avoid that noise, but however I cut it,
> the boat is boomy, and very prone to spooking birds and game. Even sliding
> through reeds, its pretty loud. Some carefull application of foam sheets
> for sound deadening would help greatly I expect.

> I built mine from luan, and got rather panicky about my being rough on
> things, and overbuilt the boat. One layer of #6 on the inside, one layer
> #6 outside, another layer of #4 outside, a bilge piece of #6, and rubbing
> areas. The results are a 70 lb boat that I can probably park my car on.

> I'd suggest a rudder. Which mine does not have yet. The boat is not
> exactly the most nimble, particularly while trying to wind through a
> swamp. A rudder would be a great help.

> Overall, I have found the boat to be roomy, comfortable, stable,
> surprisingly quick, and a heck of a lot of fun. Would I build a second?
> Not right now. Someone here has a web page on building a skin boat that's
> almost identical to the MillCreek, and I'd like to try that as a #2 boat
> eventually. Link below if I can sift it out from my zillions of bookmarked
> pages.

> There are some things I would recommend if you do build it. 1, build the
> knees and such from durn good wood, not the 1/2 plywood they recommend.
> Hurts the body, looks tacky. I'd also spend some time fitting yourself in
> there, and make them big enough to actually support you when you attempt
> to brace against them. I've short legs, and can't actually brace well in
> the boat as a result. 2, build their seat, just as they describe it. That
> sucker is phenominally comfortable! I've spent many hours at a stretch
> paddling around and haven't had things go numb or get sore like many other
> seats and saddles will do. 3, don't use a true flat paint. I did, and
> promptly discovered that the stuff scratches up easily. While it does
> block reflections, the boat looks all skuffed up in a matter of minutes.
> 4, dump their full size cut outs, and use the offset tables and battens. I
> tried their full size cutouts the first round, and finally had to throw
> all the pieces of wood away. They had poor photocopying done of a poorly
> plotted template. In two words, it sucks. 5, if you're afraid of scarfing,
> do butts. I did, and the boat looks just fine. 6, don't use tape on the
> seams. Use regular cloth and cut out strips. The tape has stitched edges,
> and lumps up, creating a real sanding nightmare. 7, use more stitches,
> closer together then they describe. Particularly at the pointy ends.

> And if you think you're going to be carrying someone else, or expect to
> carry quite a bit of weight, consider the 16 footer. I wonder if I should
> have done that one instead sometimes.

Nolan,

I wonder what your boat would weigh, since you have used luan ply, if you were to glass inside and out of both the hull and the deck? Pygmy Kayaks recommend for their boats that both the inside and outside be glassed and there boats come in a little under 40 pounds for a 16 footer.

Their Coho and Osprey model have a panel that angles down on the deck at the rubrail. This is to keep you from banging the paddle. I wish they sold a 13 footer with a 29 or 30 inch beam with that design for the deck? I think I will email them and ask them if they ever plan to do that. All their kayaks are built so that they can do the Eskimo roll. I want to build one that I don't have to roll.

Thanks for that information.

Jerry Brown