Hello all,

I'm considering building my wife (5'8" 120 lbs.) a wooden kayak, and I have the ulterior motive that I would like to use it as a surf/rockgarden/play boat off the coast. This would be a first for me, and I am far from an expert woodworker, so plan to go with stitch and glue kit project.

I'm currently looking at the Pygmy Arctic Tern 14 and the CLC Chesapeake 14. Do any of you have experience with either model (building and performance) that you could share. Or, are there other models I should be considering?

Thanks in advance for your comments. I really admire the energy and enthusiasm for wooden boats that I see on this board, and suspect that as soon as I get the first one built, I'll be dreaming about the next. I also admire the way glass kayakers are tolerated by the cellulos-enhanced crowd when we are together on the water.