> How do you intend to use this short kayak? Do you want something with a
> decent amount of volume?

I intend to use it for day paddling on rivers and small lakes and ponds - all areas in which my Walden excels. Because the Walden proved to lack the tracking required for ocean conditions (more than 1-2 foot seas), I am building a CLC Patuxent 17.5 (the seat, backband and deckrigging go on this weekend). I intend to use the Patuxent for any overnight trips, as well as ocean and larger lake paddling. So volume with this small boat is not a major concern. For the deck design, low for easier rolling is more important than height for cargo (lunch, wallet, car keys is about it) volume.

I considered the "simple" solution of just getting a whitewater boat, which would give me all the easy rolling I could want. But those things don't track at all. I tried a couple, and about half the paddle strokes were just an attempt to keep the boat going straight, with frequent spontaneous spins.

I guess what I'm after is a Walden Vision hull (excellent tracking, speed and maneuverability for a 12.5' boat) with a whitewater deck (the Vision's high fore deck makes it very difficult to set up a roll, and the high aft deck makes it even harder to finish).

I realize this is a hybrid between a sea kayak (tracking and speed) and a whitewater boat (maneuverability and rollability). Because it's not a "normal" application, there may not be existing plans. After all, you don't see any fiberglass or kevlar 12' boats on the market. And if I can't find a plan, I will build a cedar strip replica of the Vision's hull (with some minor modifications) and a whitewater-style deck modified to fit the hull. I'll have a better idea of the desired deck layout once I get the Patuxent in the water.

Ken