I've built a boat from each company. They're both good. The CLC kit (Patuxent 19.5) had a couple of bad panels, but once I reported it, CLC air freighted replacement panels immediately. No evidence required. No argument made. CLC also uses exposed fasteners which I find inelegant.

My only objections to the Pygmy kit (Osprey Standard) was that they were a little stingy on Fiberglass cloth, which is silly since it's so cheap. Pygmy's stock cockpits are also a bit large for my taste - it's hard to set up proper knee bracing.

Neither company has great instructions, but both are very helpful over the phone. Both of their stock seats are marginal - particularly for heavy water.

All that said: Pygmy's kits exhibit more detailing, which should make a better boat, but will add to the build time (Still a heck of a lot less than a strip-built). Example: When fiberglassing or gluing, CLC says just go ahead and do it. Pygmy says you should put a saturation coat of epoxy on first, let it sit overnight, and you will get a better bond. Presumably Pygmy is right, but that means a lot more evenings of work. The CLC has never failed, so obviously, their technique can't be too weak.

Unless you live in a particularly hot climate, don't get the slow-set epoxy. It's frustrating to find soft epoxy after it's been sitting overnight. Standard-set gives enough work time for most of us (Unless it's really hot).

-Just a few thoughts