Hi all,

I've been pouring over Nick Schade's book, as well as Ted Moores' and Chris Kulczycki's, not to mention the various bulletin boards and web sites. I've read about a good number of kayaks, both strip and plywood and have come up with the following list of kayaks that could well meet my needs:

Endeavour 17
Guillemot
Great Auk
West River 180
Cape Ann Storm

I'm 5'8", 165 Lbs and have never paddled a kayak. Incidentally, I was originally planning on building a small sailboat, until I stumbled onto another builder's home page, where he explained what a painstaking and expensive experience that was and how much more rewarding he had found kayaks to be. So I thought "hmm..." ...and here I am considering making a kayak

Anyway, I have several questions, and any input and insights from you guys would be appreciated.

Which of the above do you think is the best all-purpose kayak? or if there's one you're thinking of thats not on the list, please let me know that as well!

I live in Vancouver, BC and I anticipate I'll be using the kayak in our coastal waters and lakes nearby. I like the idea of camping and overnights, but I see myself doing day-trips and just general exploring as well. I'm a novice, but I'm pretty good at picking up new sports/activities so I don't want to limit myself to a purely novice boat. I do see myself learning to do rolls (i figure thats an essential part of kayaking, afterall you're bound to get dunked at some point, right?) but am not too keen on open (or should I say exposed) ocean and surfing - if thats what people mean when they're talking about a kayak being good for surfing.

That said, I guess my subject line says a lot too, since I do see myself building again in the future. But until then, i want to build something that I'll enjoy for a long time.

Thanks in advance for your thoughts.
Joubin