Thanks for the feedback. I suspect I might find the Guillemot a touch too easy to turn. I wonder whether the Guillemot L with another foot of length and a bit more beam would be by comparison.

The Outer Island sounds like an interesting boat but might not have enough room for my legs. Has anyone had any experience paddling a Redfish King or Return? Redfish claims that "Weathercocking is virtually nil" with the Return.

Again, thanks for the responses.

: I'm not an expert - I have about two years paddling touring kayaks. Lots to
: learn, but I'll share what I know -

: I have a Great Auk and my wife has a Guillemot. The Guilly is "easy to
: turn" - in other words, you have to think about steering all of the
: time. The Auk is better, but both can weathercock on you when you're
: paddling fast. Sometimes they will just start turning, and nothing can be
: done except to rudder them back - no amount of corrective forward paddling
: seems to make a difference.

: I'm sure that this is an example of "PIC" - or "problem in the
: chair" as my IT friends call it. I have done pretty well in the
: Guilly, paddling with a GP and keeping the stroke well forward. This way,
: you are continuously correcting with each stroke and not pulling through
: too far which will crank you sideways in a single stroke.

: I did build a retractable skeg in my wife's boat and I'd recommend that to
: anybody. It does seem to help the boat track in many situations.

: I love the lines of both boats, especially the Guillemot. They leave plenty
: of room for both of us to learn and improve before we "need"
: higher performance craft. So no regrets here for building either one.