: I wasn't suggesting that the Endeavour would be right for you. Just pointing
: out that the "large fellows" that R.F. referred to aren't all
: that large.

: There have been a few posts (search the archives) by someone who built one of
: the larger Guillemot designs. If I recall, he was 290 lbs when he finished
: building, and has used it for numerous extended camping trips, with the
: kayak packed full of gear. And after 2500 km of paddling, he's now down to
: 220 or so.

: Steve Killing doesn't seem to publish "design displacement"
: numbers, as some other designers do, but he has published "optimum
: capacity" numbers, although I can't seem to find those numbers (for
: kayaks) on the website any more. In either case, its a number that refers
: to the total combined weight of boat, paddler, and gear. The difference, I
: think, is that the "design displacement" is a particular weight,
: that will sink the boat exactly to its designed waterline, whereas the
: "optimum capacity" is a range of weights - probably akin to
: "design displacement plus or minus a reasonable allowance on either
: side, without compromising performance very much". (If I'm wrong
: about this, someone please jump in)

: In any event, at 215 lbs, plus boat weight of 45 lbs, I am pushing the upper
: limit of the designer's recommended optimum capacity for the Endeavour
: (150 to 260 lbs). If I bring along a sandwich, I'll be over. And yet I
: have 2-3 inches of freeboard to the sheer when sitting in the otherwise
: empty boat. A 105 lb person with no gear would be at the bottom end of
: that range, and I'm guessing they'd barely be denting the water. You
: wouldn't push the boat to the bottom, but you might not feel very
: comfortable in it, and you probably wouldn't want to load it up with 3
: weeks worth of camping gear.

: The recommended capacity for the True North is 300 to 460 lbs.
So, with me at 290 + the 50-60 lb boat + 10 lbs of gear = 350-360. That still leaves plenty of room with a True North if I ever do a trip.

The worst of my problems would be if I dropped a few pounds and was at the low end of it's capacity and it's stability/ride became a problem. That's a problem I wouldn't mind having.

Thanks for your help Ken!