I just started building a pygmy tandem, its my second pygmy. (See my link below about kerosene heat and epoxy.)

When I test paddled the boat I was really impressed at the stability. The boat is fairly large and hence not very maneuverable, but it suits my needs. I was paddling with another athletic paddler and together we were FAST. So I am sure you could plug right along even if you ended up doing most of the work. This boat will be for me and my girlfriend when covering distance and safety are more important than sight seeing/exploring/fishing or when we just want the simplicity of one boat.

Someone else can probably comment about paddling with a young paddler.

I would guess that you could throw together one of Nick's strippers in about the same amount of time as a S&G. Especially if you ordered the forms pre-cut and are planning to build a boat, not a work of art. (not to knock the beautiful boats I see here) Also, building one of his designs you could customize it and add a third (middle) seat for your daughter and take the whole family! I think its a stretch to put the third cockpit in the pygmy.

good luck.
shawn