Rich,

I built a Silver for my wife and have paddled it enough to know it well. This boat is a fast cruiser best suited for a smaller adult. It fits my wife at 130 lbs perfectly. I find it a bit small for myself (175 lbs) for everyday use. It's fun in the pool though. There are plenty of people out there with Spring Run's. Hopefully they will speak up. Don, are you lurking? If you are used to a 24 inch wide hard-chine boat, you will find the Silver much less stable. If your size is more towards the average adult, I recommend evaluating the King to see if it meets your needs.

As far as milling your own strips, if you already own the tools, have access to raw wood, and don't mind the extra time it will take, sure, go for it. It will probably even save you a few bucks. I milled all my own for my first stripper and got great results. Milling is not particularly hard if you take your time and set up properly for the process. This is not a place to take shortcuts however, if you want good results. Perfectly milled strips will make building the boat much easier. Not everyone has the temperament or skill to be doing this kind of work, but they don't usually build boats either.

Ted

: Having built 3 Chesapeake stitch & glues, I'm now going to try a strip
: built. I think I've overcome the initial intimidation factor. I really
: like a couple of the Redfish designs, and am tortured by the choices. I
: think I have it down to the Spring Run vs. the Silver. I like the idea of
: the Spring Runs stability, but the volume seems to be more than I would
: like. The Silver has more of the features I want, but am concerned about
: the 22" beam and it's stability (I'm used to a 24" beam). Does
: anyone out there have any experience with these boats and can give me any
: thoughts/recommendations? Also, am I insane to think that I can mill my
: own strips with my table say and router? Is it worth it? Thanks!