: 2 more questions.
: 1. Anyone have experience building the Chesapeake 17 from CLC ??? Any other
: comprable S&G boats I should consider??

If you want a big kayak like the Ch17 and handling in wind/waves is a priority then a Merganser 17W would be a better bet. I don't think Pygmys Arctic Tern17 comes in plans otherwise that would be a good choice too.
The reason for the Merganser recommendation is that the thigh bracing/coaming configuration is a better design ergonomically. In otherwords the Merganser coaming and thigh bracing design suits the paddler as opposed to the CLC coaming/thigh bracing conforming to the bent deck. From a handling perspective the Merganser hull is more responsive to lean/sweep turns in a variety of conditions yet still tracks well. The Chesapeake tracks well but isn't responsive to lean/sweeps to counteract mild weathercocking and likewise in waves it doesn't respond as well to holding a course. For hard-chine hulls wave handling tends to be a little more abrupt or twitchy compared to multichine or compound hulls and the characteristics I'm describing aren't immediately apparent to beginners. But as long as you're spending over 100hrs building and nearly $1000 for multiple boats built from plans it's worth researching.