Bruce, I haven't built that particular model but have built other clc boats and paddled that and other clc in flat water conditions. I built the clc 16 and removed 1/2" from the shear. It takes me about a little over 100 hrs to make a hard chine boat, I'm not particulary efficient so there's a certain amount of chair sitting and contemplating while glue hardens. Now I probably could build one in 55 hrs., and it would look it. A random orbital sander will greatly reduce your sanding time. A friend built a clc 16 with a flat back deck and that looks quite nice.

I am happy with the way I paddle it. it weathercocks just a little, i like it in high winds as it feels connected to the water , compared to my Mariner Express or a coho for example, I am 175 lbs, I have had it in the surf and like it there too. I am of the smaller is better mindset for unladen kayaks, for me a LV17 would be good for me plus 50#'s of stuff. Other folks have other biases. get lots of gloves for working with epoxy.

Weight. heavy topic. Don't get too fixated on it. Nearly any boat you make that is so many feet long and so many inches wide will weigh within a pound or two of a similarly sized boat. Yes one can make a very light kayak. One can make a very sturdy kayak. If you just go with the directions you'll have a light and sturdy kayak. I'm not sure if published figures for weights figure in all that deck hardware and seat. A smaller boat can be lighter and tougher, but this can get into hair splitting. Not sure of your experience glassing with epoxy , but how you apply the fillets and glass will make more of a difference in the weight of the boat than catalog numbers. Just to beat the weight topic more,,175 paddler plus neoprene,booties,lunch, water and assorted gear could easily weigh 200,a little more wet. So a 240 package will move about the same as 245 lb package. A 40lb kayak at the end of a long paddle will feel heavier than a 46 lb kayak at the beginning. Personally I'd rather have a 22oz paddle or goretex drysuit than a very light kayak.

There's something to putting a shiny varnished boat down an ashpalt put in that makes people hold their breath.