I am not against getting wet, or getting your kids wet. I have great memories of my brother and I swamping an old Willits Bros. wood canoe while camping. I am also not against your design experiments, and have been lurking on this board long enough to know that my voice would not deter you at all. :) Please take my comments in the same spirit as those made when you posted your original design. I wish that there is a boat that fit all needs, but all designs contain sacrifices. For me, carrying four people and a dog on a picnic says rowboat (albeit a cool-home-designed-all-wood rowboat with a fancy name like wherry) more than it says kayak.

My personal dilemma is deciding between Pygmy's double or triple for this Winter's project.

> I like to experiment, and enjoy the thought of doing something
> different doesn't frighten me. I hve PFD's for the kids, and will
> progress in stages.

> Take a look at the picture below. It looks like and eight man
> kayak. If nobody tries new ideas, then we all miss out on potential
> innovations. Besides, I refuse to believe that a kayak can't be made
> to have fun in with the expectation that you may get wet. Rehearsing
> scenarios and staying within certain limits (e.g. close to shore,
> warm water) can make the risks quite minimal. If I wanted absolute
> safety I wouldn't even drive to the shore in the first place.

> Well, here we go again with the "Absolute safety, yadda
> yadda..." stuff again. Some parents won't let their kids ride
> dirt bikes. Mine were like that. I missed out on alot of life in order
> to eliminate risks. I'd like my kids to get close to the water, like
> I did. My parents couldn't keep me from surfing, and I'm glad I took
> that risk as a kid!