: ...I have to warn you, though, your boating building
: days are probably just starting :-) You didn't just build one telescope,
: did you? :-) Now that's a project I have been thinking of too...

I would like to thank everyone who repsonded for their kind words regarding our website. What started out as the merest of whims has generated quite a bit of highly gratifying feedback. It has been a wonderful unexpected gift received in addition to the pure joy we have found in building our own yaks. And to think that just this time last year we barely knew what a kayak was!

At the risk of unwelcome off-topic bandwidth usage, I would like to respond here to the many telescope making queries we have received from yak builders. For those contemplating making their own Dobsonian, consider the purchase of the book "The Dobsonian Telescope" by Richard Berry and Dave Kriege. It covers the basics of building light-weight, highly transportable truss-type instruments in a very thorough fashion, much as "The Strip-Built Kayak" and "The New Kayak Shop" do for our boats. It is available at:

http://www.willbell.com/tm/dobtel.htm

Also be sure to cruise the Telescope Making Web Ring, linked from my "Sawdust Factory" website. For additional inspiration and background knowledge, pick up a copy of "Sky & Telescope" and "Astronomy" magazines, and visit the websites of the telescope makers who advertise in them. Finally, please do not hesitate to plumb the depths of my knowledge upon the subject in private email (it won't take long ). I always enjoy talking about telescope making, and promise not do so here after this.

Cheers!
Kurt and Leslie