My 8 year old daughter is having a great deal of fun "helping" me finish a Spring Run. And, being a good Dad, I'm contemplating whether to try my hand at building a smaller kayak for her once the Spring Run is finished.

Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be much out there as far as plans for cedar strip kayaks for smaller paddlers -- so far I've found:

* Nick has plans for a Little Auk on this website - but at 28" beam I'm wondering if this would be too wide for a younger kid.
* Pygmy has stich and glue kayaks in smaller sizes
* Glen-L has a Kidiyak, but it almost seems as if it is meant for a very small child.
* [gasp] get a cheap plastic rotomolded kayak at Costco or the like.

Can anyone share what they might have done for kayaks for their kids?

At this point, my thinking is running more toward getting a Pygmy kit -- I'm a bit hesitant to spend the hundred + hours doing a stripper, only to have her outgrow it in a few years (or have to cringe if she drags it over barnacle beds). While I hesitate to blaspheme and mention a cheap plastic boat on this forum, it would have the benefits of being relatively inexpensive, and likely able to take the abuse that kids tend to dish out on their stuff. The boat would be used in a protected bay in the South Puget Sound area with very flat water.

And, my thanks to all of you for letting me lurk and read your posts -- I've learned quite a bit, and am truly enjoying building my Spring Run.

Dave McCone