I agree with you on the lower volume boat issue.

The only commercially made kayaks available to try here are flatwater racing K1s at the local canoe club, Unless I drive to Adelaide (4.5 hrs) or Melbourne (6 hrs) I am a bit short on kayak vendors that sell lower volume kayaks. There are a few shops locally that sell plastic recreation boats but nothing in the league that I am interested in.

So I have taken a leap of faith and ordered plans for a 16' merganser which has a BOA of 21" compared to 24 of the west river at a slightly longer LOA.

I am also hoping that the installation of hip braces in the west river will have me swimming a little less in it. There is a picture of me paddling it higher up on the list under the S&G WR162 finished pics thread. This should give you a good idea of how much of me is sticking out the top of the boat!

Many thanks for your thoughts on the matter,

Nicholas Sheahan
Mildura Australia