Thanks! to all those who have given straightforward (as well as extremely verbose!) advice to someone trying to get into the wooden kayak scene. These "rendezvous" everyone is talking about are not convenient travel destinations for someone in southern Michigan (Lets see...spend several hundred dollars in airfare and accomodations to then spend an additional thousand for the boat building supplies...NOT!). Surely, there must a get-together somewhere in Michigan, especially since it is bordered on three sides by three of the largest lakes on the continent! I have heard there might be a Michigan get-together this month in Bay City...is this accurate? Does anyone have any details? My dilemma is fairly simple: I like the performance of the pygmy coho, but I want to build a similarly performing watercraft with wood strips...which model best approximates the coho? A free bottle of beer(upon meeting) will go to anyone who gives a satisfactory answer/solution which saves me from having to fly to NH or WA just to try out a few boats! Thank you all in advance!

Rob