Chuck,
Long ago Chris Kulczycki designed "Yare" and "Severn" at about 28 and 26 lbs respectively. Yare is not for the big footed. My 11 1/2 's make it very uncomfortable but it is a miniimal sea kayak. It gives me all the thrills of a SOF without worrying about how little water is under my keel. At 16 ft. it goes very straight.
Severn is 14 1/2' by 26". It has a high arched deck that will accept big footed people.
Tortured plywood seems to be a thing of the past but I've never been sorry I built one.
Charlie

: I'm building a stripper but would like to see you all argue about what is the
: lightest reasonable kayak possible using stitch and glue or skin on frame
: technology. It wouldn't need to be really durable or strong, but it would
: need to be a rather large design, I'm 6'3", 220. I know that sof yaks
: are usually lighter, but I'd like to see how light both designs could be
: made, a fun next project for me. Let the war begin.