I'm looking to build my first SOF and right now am trying to pick a design to start off.

The three I like most so far are (in no specific order) Bjorn Thommason's Black Pearl, the Tom Yost's Sea Glider, and Nick Schade's Petrel.

I'm inclined to do the Petrel, since I had a chance to paddle it in the strip version and I liked it quite a bit: probably the most playful of the bunch just by looking at the rest, just stable enough, though probably a smidgen slower than the other two in a straight line...

Any impressions on how the SOF version compares to the strip build one? How do you do the conversion?

I just found some photos of Nick's SOF Petrel. Wondering if there is additional information on this particular boat. Can I start with the strip version's plans? If so, what modifications do I need to make for the SOF?

http://www.woodenkayaks.com/image/gallery-handmade-wooden-boats/skin-frame-petrel/sof-petrel-bow

Another 2 questions (SOF building related):

(1) what is the structural advantages (if any) of using multiple bent ribs as in the above photos vs. fewer plywood cross sections like here: http://yostwerks.com/SBSectionsA.html ?

(2) why or why not would I want to glue things together vs. tie them together?

Thanks!