Thanks Frank (and everyone else so far )

: Joubin,
: I can't speak for the others because I've never paddled them, but the West
: River (WR) is a big boat. I'm 6'1" and 165 and I felt like I was
: paddling a giant tub. Granted, it is an excellent handling, stable tub,
: but it still felt like a tub. Then again, I like a faster more sporty

Thats exactly the kind of input I was hoping to get from people. I've been in touch with a couple of local sources and hope to "try-before-you-build" some of these kayaks, but in case I don't get to try all of them, its great to hear from others and their experiences.

Personally, I've found a lot of discussion out there regarding kayaks that are suited for "big" paddlers, but not so much about small or average sized guys. Speaking of which, in the pantheon of kayaking terms, what exactly is a small paddler, an average sized one, and a big one?

: boat. I spent a bunch of time testing various CLC boats and the WR is a
: nice one. For you, day tripping, and being smaller, perhaps instead of the
: WR you should consider one of the Chesapeakes (16 or 17LT I would guess)
: from CLC or something similar from other suppliers. All of these will have
: reasonable storage for day trips or camping excursions and will likely fit
: your frame better. By the way, I just bought a NorthBay from CLC as my
: first ever boat so I'm similar with the situation you're in, though I
: didn't come from the sailing side of the house. I've only paddled a few
: kayaks outside demo'ing all the CLC boats, so I am definitely a novice as
: well.

: By the way, Surfing in a kayak is pretty much the same as surfing on a surf
: board. A long swim from land is what is meant by open ocean. Protected
: water generally means a bay or somewhat less open (though it can still
: feel open) and rivers are fairly obvious.

: Welcome to the sport.

: Frank