: I wholeheartedly concur, but it gets even better. Last September at R2K,
: Joe's wooden kayak blowout at Port Townsend, I had the opportunity to
: paddle one of his boats. People stood in line for the Silver all weekend,
: so I was out of luck there, but was able to take his Spring Run out for a
: test drive. As good as they look, and they are stunning, they paddle even
: better. As stable and comfortable as my favorite TV chair, tracks like a
: dream, responds well to heeled turns. The most amazing thing was that the
: boat was dead neutral. No weather- or leecocking at any point of wind,
: with no rudder. No tendency to broach in following seas. Enough reserve
: buoyancy to go up and over whatever's comin' atcha. And durability? This
: was his "beater", been dragged around to boat shows all over the
: West for 3 years and abused my all manner of ham-fisted amateurs, and it
: still looked as good as my GBoat the day it was launched.

: Not that I'm disappointed in the G, either. It's a wonderful boat, and I
: still love it. I owe Nick a debt of gratitude for furnishing the impetus
: and knowhow to get it done. But Joe really has the magic.

: Joe is probably too modest to advertise this, but he recently finished a
: wallhanger commission for the Disney folks!

If anyone spots the wallhanger sometime, it would be nice to see a picture. Disney is very strict about not allowing designers to advertise their work for Disney in print or in pic.
I have been eying the Silver for a while. I'll see if the length of the Merganser I am building now si manageable on the river. Maybe the Silver is next...