Well, Finally! The words of every first timer I'm sure. There's still the matter of installing knee braces (just have to buy contact cement) and footbraces (the Yakima's are here), but I took her out anyway. Let me say first of all it's been 20 years since I was in a kayak (7 years old at camp) save for a rolling lesson in someones pool last year on a whitewater version, but yesterday was calm so I decided to try my luck on the east shore of Lake Huron ( I live in Ontario, Canada). I had an audience at the beach and lots of 2-3 foot rollers, but it didn't take long to get somewhat comfortable. I didn't use the skirt (as I have some torn ligaments in my shoulder that are awaiting surgery) to test any rolls, but it was exhilarating nonetheless. The 'lean into the wave' advice from Nick's book really helped, although I'm sure this is common knowledge for anyone who has paddled at least once. This thing is very fast, and once I decided to give her a run I was 400 yards from my starting point before I knew it. I didn't have too much trouble keeping it in a straight line once I started using a more vertical stroke, even with the waves hampering my direction slightly. It's fairly tippy at first, but once you get near the point where you think you're going to bail it picks up some secondary stability... which gives you more confidence once you know it's there. It's going to take some practice to get comfortable, but the water is impressively warm (guessing 75F) and I've now got some free time with the building finished, so I plan to do as much as I can. I have yet to do a wet exit, and I haven't really tested my bulkheads or hatches, but is it really possible to get into it from the water?! I'm sure a few tries and I'll figure it out, but it must be quite a technique.
I'm going to try and post some pics, but since it didn't work last time be sure to try out the link. There are definitely some flaws, but the pictures don't pick them up very well and I've already managed to cover them up with elegant scratches from the odd rock and sand:)
I'd like to thank Nick for the use of this board and for the designs and great web page....without it I probably never would've started. A friend of mine built a guillemot single last year from the book which gave me the idea, but I fell in love with the look of the Heron on the site and the description Nick wrote of it’s performance. Silly, seeing as I’m a beginner and any kayak would seem crazy…but someone’s advice was to build something more advanced than me so I could learn my way into it instead of feel comfortable and want more. Many others that I'll try and remember: Thanks to Glen Smith, Rob Macks, Jim Owens, Rod Tait, Jay Doorly, Malcolm Schweizer, Ted Henry, Lennie Hawkins, Brian Nystrom, Jay Babina, Dave McKinney, J.J. Atkinson and many more. I’ve posted quite a few questions and the responses have not only helped me to a better product, but in many cases motivated me not to take a sledgehammer to to *&^%&*ing thing and just keeping chugging away. I can see this becoming a lifelong hobby, be it kayaks or canoes or any boat in general.
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Now I’ve got to go and watch the Twin Towers dvd…going to be a late night:)

James