: IMO - 20' is REALLY big for a canoe. If he wants to seat three for day
: paddles, 17' (probably 16') is big enough, more important is where the
: seats go, and that'll depend on how big the boys are. Probably easiest is
: to set up the canoe with the standard tandam seating, but add a center
: seat that can be used for a 3rd person or when paddling solo. If the
: center seat is adjustable fore & aft, the trim can be adjusted for the
: conditions and the load. This can be accomplished by having the seat
: suspended on rails, or just using some sort of box to sit on (my tackle
: box works very well). For three people on weekend trips, 18'+ should be OK
: if they pack reasonably well. My wife and & can fit the two of us, our
: large dog and enough stuff for a week very easily (with room to spare)
: into a 17' x 36" canoe. A larger boat will be harder to control in
: the wind.

: Bryan

Yeh, I mentioned that a 20' canoe would probably be a bit over sized, and he really doesn't know if the boys will take to this like he did when he built his many years ago. I've taken all the links I got here and one I knew of and emailed them to him to look over. I also have a couple of the books dedicated to canoe building so I think he will have enough info to at least make a good choice. I kinda like the looks of the lap-strake canoes. But, too much already going on for that now. Maybe in 4 or 5 years or so.

Thanks to all for the ideas and links. Now, we'll see what we can do to get him off and running. I'm thinking of taking him out to see David Barrett's boats. I KNOW he'll get hooked them.

Rehd