: Steve, first let me say that 30 years ago I had a scout master that was brave
: enough to do this. I built 2 kayaks (one 14' and one 16') and used them
: for years on rivers and lakes. I worked as a commercial guide from age 17
: through graduate school and had well over 10,000 miles on rivers. I owe a
: lot to that Scout Master and I think you are doing a great thing. Second
: my experience is that often in our rush to wow scouts we permit them to
: exploit outdoor experiences without gaining respect and appreciation for
: the outdoors or the sport. Clearly building the boats will slow down the
: pace and improve the growth experience. Our boats were the same basic
: design and about 25-27 inches wide. Our seats were about 2-3 inches above
: the bottom of the boat making a slightly higher center of gravity. They
: were plenty stable even for the smaller kids. For the cost you will not
: find a better way to introduce the scouts to kayaking. You may want to
: combine it with a fifty miler this summer as a reward.

Thanks for the feedback Scott. We are in the planning stages and are looking into building 2 (one skinned and one not) to let the boys see what they will end up with. The fellow I know managed to pull this off for 23 kayaks, so I know it can be done. It ssems like a width of 25 to 27 worked out OK for you. That's the only thing that seemed questionable (I'm just used to looking at the King sitting in my shop!). Maybe we'll narrow it up a bit on one of the prototypes and see if there's a difference.

Yes, we already have a 5 day trip scheduled using borrowed canoes. Having the scouts use their own kayaks would definitely enhance the experience!

Thanks for the encouragement

Steve