> 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,

In what ways do you think it feels more "connected to the water" than the other boats? I've paddled the Coho, but no Mariners.

> 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.

I just weighed my Chesapeake 17 last night for the first time. Fully finished and varnished, with hip pads, seat, foot braces, thigh hooks, hatches, bulkheads, deck hardware, compass, and carrying handles, it's a tad overweight at 57 lbs.

My brothers, sans outfitting is only 52 lbs.

They are a tad overbuilt, with glass inside the cockpit, and we weren't too stingy with the fillet epoxy. On the other hand, I don't worry about being too gentle with it.

>. Personally I'd rather have a 22oz paddle or
> goretex drysuit than a very light kayak.

Me too. Still dreaming about an ultralight paddle though. I tried an Epic paddle last month--wow!

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

Sometimes I still do, and I know I have 'glass in critical areas.