> I have built two wooden boats but no kayaks and am thinking about building
> the Osprey Standard, the Artic Turn or the Mill Creek 13. I have paddled
> canoes but have never been in a kayak. At this point, I have not made up
> my mind to build a kayak since I am 61 years old and have not acquired any
> skills in this area. It is not the building that I am worried about, it is
> the using the finished product. I read that you have to learn the Eskimo
> Roll and practice it. I will be paddling on lakes in Kansas for the
> exercise and enjoyment. Can one have an Osprey Standard or the Artic Turn
> and not learn the Eskimo Roll? Maybe I should build the Mill Creek 13 with
> a 29 inch beam it should be fairly stable? Any advice would be
> appreciated.

> Jerry from the Flatlands of Kansas

Jerry, don't worry about learning to roll. The Arctic Tern is a very stable boat. I wouldn't even paddle a boat I thought I'd have to roll. I've taken some pretty steep waves in that boat and pannicked a little because of my relative inexperience in those conditions, got myself sideways and was afraid I would capsize, but found the boat had no difficulty at all taking the waves. Ever since then, I've been looking for chop.

You wouldn't catch me in a canoe, but a kayak is a whole other ballgame.

Tamara Hanks