Thanks Guys!

I think I'll continue on the course I've chosen...... 18" beam, w/removable sponsons/pontoons, shifted aft to allow for paddle stroke.

The two boys that will most likely be using these boats first are 9 yrs and 7 yrs, and both can swim, hold their breath under water and aren't too afraid to try new things. The 6 yr old g-daughter will be next and I'm sure she will only want to go in the canoe with me for a while and the last two will be a while before they do much but canoe with Dad or Grandpa.

The boys will always be with at least one adult, if not a group, and I would suspect they will get their water/kayak/wings fairly quickly. Of course, I'm not equiped to teach them anything, but there are a couple of people here local that can teach them the basics of wet exit and self reque. They will be learning right along with Grandpa. They won't be going any where without me as I have the boats here and won't let them go without me or another qualified adult.

These boats will be built from both Morris' and Starr's books and will be low volume, as there won't be anything but day trips and just plain fun going on. I am making air bags for both, as well as my boat. However, I may try incorporating the deck hatch/airbag/seasock idea just to see how it will work on a skin boat.

With the narrow beam, they will be able to progress from the sponsons to, hopefully, a boat they can play with and learn some rolls and so on. Don't know who will teach them in this area, but we'll roll that log over when we get to it.

Now, it's time to get back to those apummaqs and get the deck-beam mortises cut and start sewing... Pictures to follow.

Thanks again for the comments and Pictures.

Rehd

P.S. Greg... I like the idea of the rocking platform and will make one that the boys can play with while battling the forces of evil on their playstation or whatever they use now a days. That way, they can get used to it and it may give them a little advanced training. ?? Thanks again!!