: Any advice on these, and what I might not know (lots) about the differences.

: Oh yes - I was really looking for something around the 19' mark simply
: because of building space, but didnt get there.

: thanks dave

Hi Dave,

I built a GAD. The plans give you an opportunity to shorten the kayak to 20' if desired and that is what I did to allow me to build it in my short garage. It was pretty easy to run the strips without some of the difficult compound surfaces that are found on some kayaks so this might be a good choice for the less experienced builder. In spite of that everyone that has seen my kayak agrees it turned out to be a beautiful boat.

I chose this design because it is narrower than most recreational tandems but not as tippy as the available racing types. I was amazed at the actual performance this design has. It is way faster than expected and my paddle partner and I never had any problem powering past and away from all but the dedicated race boats. The only issue I had with the kayak is that it was almost too stable. Enough so that it was boring to sit in the back and I kept wanting to try to see if I could stand up and paddle. I never did get to try that before I sold the boat.

The front seat was very roomy but the deck design lowered the deck height of the rear seat enough that I was never really comfortable with my size 11's and I had to have my legs a little too straight for my liking. Then again most experienced kayakers would probably laugh at me and think I need too much room to be comfortable.

Hope this helps,
Kyle T.