: Since you don't intend to carry a lot of gear, look at the design
: displacements of the boats that you are interested in. You don't want to
: find yourself feeling too loosely fitted in a large volume boat. At your
: weight, you may not sink a 17' Great Auk for optimum performance. Have you
: paddled 24" wide kayaks vs 21" wide kayaks, whether plastic or
: otherwise? Do you want to learn to roll, and be a true sea kayaker? A
: narrower kayak may prove just as stable for you, yet be easier to roll. A
: wider kayak may suit you better for photography and sightseeing. Paddle a
: few boats. Check out One Ocean Kayaks also.

That's great advice from Chris.

When I was a first time strip builder as you are, I had many of the same questions and had narrowed my list down to the Spring Run and the Guillemot. My kayaking experience level and where I wanted to paddle was also similar to yours. I settled on the Spring Run after deciding the stability of a 23 1/2 wide boat would be a little more to my taste than a play boat. So far, I've paddled the Spring Run on slow rivers, lakes, Fla Keys and Gulf of Mexico and even got a taste of launching thru surf this summer. The boat has met my expectations and is serving me well. The question is "would I be just as happy with the Guillemot" if I had build it? I may never know but can tell you I really am happy with the Spring Run. It's not the best at anything but is pretty good at a lot...

Might build a Guillemot down the road just to find out.... And then a Night Heron. And then a something else until I've got one of every imaginable design. Then I can pick the boat for the kind of paddling I want to do that particular day. And I'm currently building a One Ocean Kayak Cirrus SLT for my son...

Good luck with your decision... A pic of my Spring Run on the maiden voyage off Key Largo, FL back in March is below...