: What didn't you like about about the Patuxent 17 and what are looking to
: build next?
: Bert

I'm hoping to build Erics (Shearwater) Blue Fin, and maybe the Merganser 17, or 17W for a friend.

I paddled the Patuxent 17 in the S.F. Bay and ocean,,for four panels it had a low wetted area but that was about it. The nearly symmetrical hull shape/rocker and fore/aft windage lent to moderate weathercocking but the low volume bow made for bow burying to the coaming in 18" waves. I know from owning an Express I couldn't have had a more extreme comparison but I worked in two paddle shops and while not a hot paddler with a bomb proof roll with a homemade baidarka, whitewater boat or skinny Nordkapp I could tell "something's not right" when a 17' "sea kayak" buries to the coaming with no resistance in the first 4' then slowing down as the bow looks like it wants to keep going. Seeing green water up to the coaming and the kayak come to a near standstill ain't what I'm familiar with and these weren't short choppy waves where my momentum was pushing the boat against a wave , it was simply going a tad faster than the 18" wave and diving DOWN into the trough with no resistance. The experience of building was great.