: there really isn't a correlation between short/long and seaworthy. Short and
: long do different things along with other characteristics of hull shape,
: "sea worthy" is more of a skills issue. Mariner makes an
: excellent 13' rough water kayak called a Coaster, Wilderness Systems has a
: 14 ft. kayak called Tchaika. The Coaster can carry about 75lbs more. What
: are the characteristics you are looking for?

I had in mind the Bearmountain Venture. It's 14' with a 22" beam. The offsets are in the Kayakcraft book which I have. I am building a Guillemot at this time, but she wants something smaller. So, I am looking for a smaller, lighter kayak that she will be able to handle on and off the water. 80-90% of the time we will be in flat water were I have been paddling my Wee Lassie canoe. Yearly, we make a trip or two to the Florida coast. In my limited experience with shorter kayaks in the 10-11' length, they seem to nose dive too much between the crest of waves rather than ride over the waves. This doesn't seem too desirable of a trait. I realize other design traits can influence this tendency.