: Hi Bill and Lee -

: Thanks for the feedback. Sounds like it might have a tendency to bury the
: nose and broach in bigger following seas?

: Jim

I've not experienced the nose burrying in a following sea...only going into a wave head on...wakes like Lee mentioned, or heading into the wind. Going back, the nose stayed out of the water and the boat rose up and over...I was paddling hard, trying to have some fun. Two ft. chop, was the situation, on shore breeze...so paddling out I'd get the breakers over the bow, all the way past the forward hatch. It was a dry enough ride, as the rise of the cockpit is sufficient, except for the start when I got in....twice. My wife has no problems getting in, only me....maybe I'm cursed.

I'm 5'7", 160 lbs., extreemly good looking, Plenty of room for my size 9's...kept the Pygmy back support, but made a nylon cover for it. Installed some hip pads on the cheek plates. I wish I had a scanner, I'd post photos...alas, I guess if a picture is worth a thousand words, a thousand words will have to do.

The Osprey Standard is a fine boat. If I were a seasoned paddler I'd be able to give you more of the low down on handling characteristics. However, I can say that my nephew had a difficult time tipping it over during a drill. It is wide, and as far as cruising speed goes, well, I'd say she moves fine. There's a point where it won't go any faster no matter how hard I paddle. Cross winds aren't really a problem, but I tend to paddle at an angle into the wind and then adjust course closer to my destination. Getting caught in a trough sideways is a little scary, especially if I miss a stroke and get my paddle stuck. Difficult to distinguish between compromises in design or paddler error.

As I mentioned, putting the Osprey Stnd. together was very straightforward. The plywood sections went together very easily. I think the most difficult part was attatching the deck and hull, and filleting that inside seam. I think it took a little wrestling to stitch the parts together because of the length and the flexability in the parts. The length of the boat facilitated getting much of it done in my Mom's basement. They don't send you enough syringes for the project though, or rubber gloves. Expendables aren't a problem for me though, because I'm so into this that I'll always have recycled containers and bulk sand paper, etc. My father in law is a retired dentist, and I was able to get a box of syringes from the Doc that bought his practice....I think it was $35 for fifty or a hundred. I'm now down to my last one...and I bought the box a couple years ago. They don't send you any cab-o-sil thickener, they expect you to use only wood flour...which I did...all of the stuff they sent...used most of it up on the deck/hull interior seam. The cockpit coaming is made out of plywood, which needed plenty of filling and coating on the end grain. It looks nice on the boat. The spray skirt lip is made of the same plywood as the hull and deck, so no noticable differences in the over all "look" there. It's an inch from the outer rim of the coaming, and Sue's spray skirt (small I think) barely fits it on me. The cockpit cover has no problems. I like to use a sea sock, and this shows no noticable difference in the fit of the spray skirt.

Haven't had the chance to get "Artimus" out on an expedition yet...maybe after the boat I'm working on is done...If only the weather will hold....and monkeys might fly out of my butt.
Bill