: I love his S&G design and it looks like you did just a fine job with it. You
: sure do look happy in the pics and that is as it should be. What are your
: initial impressions of the kayak and what is your intended use for it?
: If you have a copy of the building article I sure would like to build one
: myself. Again, congratulations and enjoy.

My very first thoughts as I tried to get the sprayskirt on and then took my first shove off was that this thing is much more tippy than I had even imagined. I spent the better part of 18 months planning, building, fantasizing about how cool this was going to be, all based on two sit on top kayak experiences. I guess reality has a way of throwing cold water on your face in that situation. It didn't take long to feel more comfortable with it though. I think once I am able to flip and do a wet exit that I will feel even more comfortable. I basically spent the day paddling around without trying anything outside of entering/paddling/exiting.

I'm afraid that while I did some planning before building, I really let myself be constrained by budget more than I should have. I didn't realize how many options I had until I starting building and regularly attending this forum. I too really like the Greenland style of kayak but knew that it was not the most stable model available for a beginner. That being said, I also enjoy a challenge and really look forward to learning how to handle this kayak.

I have a lot of really cool paddling options open to me. I live in Virginia Beach, Virginia and we have the Chesapeake Bay as well as the Atlantic ocean and many barrier island bays and sounds all within 15 minutes to 3 hours of my house. I am an avid fisherman (although lately my business has eclipsed my available time for it) and really hope to do some kayak fishing. I am not sure how much fishing I will actually do from the kayak but it can get me into some great areas where I can wade fish at the very least. Also I am looking to this as an outlet from work. I enjoy the water and the idea of getting away from the computer to get a little fresh air and exercise...stress relief. Eventually I'd like to do some weekend camping trips.

This kayak was a real neat build. I really got excited when the panels were first stitched together and it looked like a kayak. It really became a mission after that and I couldn't be more happy with it. I can see how some of the people here build several kayaks. It is addicting. Someone put the article online and there is a link to it below. I made an assumption that cost me a coaming riser/lip assembly (a small price to pay). The article clearly indicated the rings to be stacked and glued in place on the deck. I assumed that I would be able to assemble them seperate from the boat and then glue them to the deck. I did the coaming rings early in the process and didn't realize the amount of rise and arc the deck had in that area. I had to scrap it and then decided to use the other very popular method of vertical strips for the riser and with bent strips as a lip. Other than that I found the article to be a good guide.

By the way, I love your SOF. I watched your progress and saw the picture in Sea Kayaker. Nice job. Talk about some cool lines. That is one sleek vehicle. I was sorry to hear about your pics getting lost. I am sure the experience will stick with you forever though with or without pictures.

--Tony