: Really looking for a discussion on ways to lighten the load of a traditional
: S&G.

OK. Well, having preused these boards for about a year now, but not having built a boat, it would seem that the following would help you to build a light boat:

First, start with a round bottom ("tortured plywood") design (such as Yare by CLC). Use 3mm okume; use fillets that are as small as possible; tape seams instead of glassing entire surfaces (such as the bottom or the deck); and use float bags instead of bulkheads. Using thin epoxy in minimum coats would also help. End "plugs" made of Balsa instead of end pours might also save some ounces. Use thin sheer clamps or rout/chisel/drill/plane out the sheer clamps as much as you can (don't be too aggressive here - careful!). Hey, gang - did I miss anything?

Of course, many of these measures will affect the boat's durability and longevity and certainly the decision to go with a tortured plywood design has significant performance implications.

I've noticed that the Yare is supposed to weigh only 26# or so. It's hard to get much lighter than that for a 16' kayak (shop around and compare).

Finally, it appears that the point of diminishing returns is found rather quickly for most amateur builders, and that if it's the weight on the water you're concerned about, you'll probably find that it's easier to reduce the weight of the paddler than it is to reduce the boat's weight any further.

I have been interested in building a very lightweight boat not because I'm worried about weight in the water, but because I want to portage my boat on my shoulder for a block and a half to the river each morning and I don't want to carry any more weight than I have to.

I've pretty much made up my mind to build a (slightly modified) Yare for some of these reasons and for some I haven't stated.