: I'm planning on building a Guillemot.
: I'm a fairly big guy, 6' and 220 lbs, so I'm planning to stretch it to at
: least 18 feet.

Hi Ross,

I'm 6'-6", 195#, and stretched mine to 18'. It is an amazingly fun boat to paddle. Slightly "tamer" than the 17' version, but still plenty maneuverable. It is the most fun boat I've ever been in in rough water.

I didn't play with the width, but did add a little height in the cockpit area to accommodate my size 14's. I think Nick only has size 11's or something. Unless you have big feet, do not mess with the height!! It's unnecessary, and I also made the mistake of raising the deck behind the cockpit, which makes rolling more difficult.

: I'm debating whether to stretch the width and/or height, as well, to
: come a little closer to the specs of the Guillemot-L.
: I have got all the offsets in a spreadsheet, so I can stretch any dimension
: with just a few keystrokes.

I don't think the Guillemot L would be a good boat for anyone under 210# unless you plan on taking some gear with you, too. I found the Guillemot 'L' to be a little too squirrelly with the extra volume in width x height. It's probably a lot like a 140-lb. person paddling the G17 and finding it too "loose".

At 220#, though, you're a better candidate for the Guillemot 'L' than most people I've seen. You would sink it sufficiently to get tracking similar to a smaller person in the original.

Even at 21", the Guillemot is a remarkably stable boat. It is, however, fairly loose in the tracking department. A stretch to 18' tames it nicely, yet keeps most of the playfulness. Adding to the width, however, takes the ratio back to the original, and it's too squirrelly for most people. If you do add the width, maybe try decreasing the rocker a little...but, you probably don't need the width.

: The question is, I guess, should I stretch, say just the length and width,
: and leave the height alone, or what? I don't want to build a boat that is too
: large but I think the 17 foot Guillemot is a little too small for me.

Have you been in one? Other than foot room, I fit the normal G17 fine.

Happy building!

Shawn

: I'd like a reasonable amount of capacity for camping, but the boat would
: probably be used for day trips the vast majority of the time.
: I already have a Pygmy double that works very well for trips.

: I was looking at the specs for the Cape Ann at One Ocean Kayaks, and it looks
: pretty similar to what I want, but I like the looks of the Guillemot better.

: Any thoughts from you guys that have already built Guillemot 18s or similar?