: Robin is around 5'3" and 135 pounds, I'm 6' and 270 pounds.

: Your time is very appreciated.

Hi Bob

What is clear is that you are going to need very different boats. You are fully double Robin's weight.

To get you into looking in the right zone you might try looking at the following links for yourself:

http://www.oneoceankayaks.com/CAexped.htm
http://www.oneoceankayaks.com/kayakpro/HVtech.htm

And the following link for Robin:

http://www.oneoceankayaks.com/kayakpro/SLTtech.htm

Or you might like to look at something like the Spring Run (pictured below), which comes in two different displacement options ( the small and the large). This would give you appropriate boats with a similar look to them and similar performance properties.

http://www.redfishkayak.com/spring_run.htm

Guillemot Kayak's AUKS and GUILLEMOTS come in different sizes too.

http://www.guillemot-kayaks.com/guillemot/StripFamily

For a slightly more difficult first build that will get you beautiful results that will suit your intended usage have a look at the following baidarkas. Also larger and smaller respectively.

http://www.laughingloon.com/north.star.html

http://www.laughingloon.com/firestar.html

These are only a few options. There is a plethora of choice out there. Once you have found yourself with a designer you like the look of, email them with your specs and let them advise you.

With designs which have good amounts of freeboard, a small person like Robin may also benefit from having an inch off at the sheer to give her more paddle clearance. Check with the designer.

I hope this gets you off looking on the right track.

The main thing to keep in mind is that at 135 lbs Robin will not be able to properly displace a boat designed for a guy of your stature. If the boat is too buoyant the keel will not engage along its full length and the boat will not track properly. Also, if the sheer is too high above the keel, a shorter person has to lift their paddle uncomfortably high in order to clear the deck. A boat that has too much volume is, in my experience, actually less efficient all around than one that is too small.

Conversely, you actually do need a big volume boat.

The attached link is to some of my pondering on choosing the right kayak.

Good hunting

Etienne