: I've got canoe experience, but I've only ever had one paddle in a kayak.

: Any takers on throwing this noob some advice on a model?

Hi Adam,

Before trying to decide between Pygmy, CLC, or any other company that offers kits or plans, I'd recommend paddling as many different boats as you can find...regardless of construction materials, manufacturer, etc. The idea is to get to know some of the different designs and their handling characteristics, and at the same time, begin to develop some basic paddling skills...which will further enhance your ability to make an informed decision about your first boat.

At this point, I wouldn't want to recommend any particular model to you, because I don't know what you're comfortable with, or where your dreams might take you from here after a few months of paddling many different boats, in varied conditions, etc.

The best advice given to me when I first started paddling was to be a little patient before deciding on my first boat. I'm really glad I listened to my friends on that one, because looking back now, had I gone out immediately and bought the first boat that caught my fancy, I would have been terribly disappointed with it in a very short time. Following their advice, I spent about three months, paddling many hours every day, and trying as many different boats as I could find during that time (frequenting four different rental/retail outfitters, and borrowing boats owned by friends and friends of friends).

By the end of that intensive period, not only did I have a pretty good idea of how several different designs handled, and some idea about the differences between massive cargo carrying "barges" and lower volume "high performance" boats (and compromises between the two extremes), but I'd also gone from paddling on just calm lakes and wetlands to open ocean coastal paddling. At the end of that three months, I bought my first boat (a fiberglass CD Caribou), and after almost 7 years, I still really enjoy paddling that boat in anything from quiet wetlands to coastal and offshore waters and "relatively extreme" conditions.

My aesthetic sense of paddling has inspired me to move away from drooling over commercially built glass/kevlar layups into building my own boats and carving my own Greenland paddles (currently finishing up a S&G Mark Rogers/CLC "Arctic Hawk" kit, and my next boat(s) will be skin on frame SW Greenland style boats). I'll use the Caribou and Arctic Hawk for their gear carrying capabilities for camping trips, but since most of my paddling is daily day tripping in my backyard pond (Pacific ocean), a very low volume skin on frame boat is perfect for my "everyday" boat.

Happily for me, the natural progression of my paddling dreams have also enabled me to spend less and less money on my boat and paddle acquisition. There are many very nice commercially built composite boats and paddles, but they're not exactly cheap. Building a beautiful wooden boat from kit or plans is not only wonderful fun, but considerably less expensive (if you don't count your many hours of "labor of love"), and finally, my "ultimate dream boats"...skin on frame...are "dirt cheap" relative to the others.

Your sense of paddling and aesthetics may take you in very different directions from mine (hence my reluctance to recommend specific models at this moment), but that's the point of getting to know different boats and your own "paddling self" a bit before making your first boat choices. Even your first boat should be one you can "grow into". A boat that will not only appeal to you on several levels right away, but one that will inspire you to develop your paddling skills, and be able to take you where those new skills enable you to dream about.

Like you, I knew from my first hour in a kayak that paddling these wonderful boats would be a lifelong passion of mine, and I wanted my own boat *right away*...but I'm glad I gave myself some serious paddling time before deciding on my first boat.

Having already decided to build your own first boat is a great first step, and this message board is a wonderful place to get advice and inspiration...before, during, and after your building project(s).

Happy Paddling! (my favorite redundancy)

Melissa