Hi all. I'm new to this forum, but have been reading it with enjoyment for the past 3 weeks. I'm new to kayaking and am taking lessons and borrowing or renting boats. I live 6 blocks from Lake Michigan, north of Chicago. Recently while in Door County, Wisc. I saw my first strip-built kayak. I'm totally hooked and am determined to build one. I've got Nick Shrade's and Ted Moores' books, and have been researching designs. I'm 5'8" and175 lbs. I plan on doing Lake Michigan and river (Illinois and Wisconsin ) trips. I'm looking for a design that I won't be too intimidated to paddle, but I want something that I can grow into. In other words, I want enough primary stability, but I don't want to sacrifice secondary stability that I'll want as my skills develop. I've been looking at LaughingLoon's Shooting Star and Redfish's Silver. I'm a little concerned about the 21" beam on the Shooting Star, but I've heard that the primary stability is not too bad. I also contacted Joe as to when the plans for the King will be available. The King is a little longer than I thought I'd want, but everyone that's seen it is raving about it. Maybe it's too much boat for me right now. I know that the boats that I've mentioned aren't considered " beginner's" boats, but I'd rather things be a little squirrely at first than having a boat that I'll grow out of. Any Ideas?