Nice Boat.
S&G is actually quite efficient to build as far as weight is concerned. I can easily portage mine to the river which is about a 300' stretch.
It took me a while to really trust the handling characteristics of my hard chine S&G Merganser, but once I did, I could carve very tight turns, and still have amazing tracking ability for a 16' kayak.
Too many designs around, that look really interesting. You might consider the Pax 18 from CLC. I have never tried it, but it looks like a fast boat.

Have fun paddling...

Angela

: Thanks for the supportive comments. This weekend I will try to paddle with 3
: people. My next boat? Something high performance, but my crystal ball is
: still a bit hazy. And you are so right that a yak sure dresses up a
: minivan : )