Thanks Paul,

: No. Not at all. The capacity of the boat MUST be higher than the
: weight of the paddler and gear, or it would be underwater. When
: the capacity is much greater than the size of the paddler it is
: an indication that the boat may have good stability, but not a
: guarantee of it.

: Most 17 foot open canoes have a capacity of about 900 pounds.
: Generally these carry two paddlers weighing in total between 200
: and 500 pounds. They have capacity to spare even with two big
: guys, and much more with a couple of 12-year-old Boy Scouts.

: No. Reducing the width tends to decrease stability. Narrower boats
: can be faster but generally they have more experienced paddlers.

: Hundreds. All of them have their good points so choosing one is
: confusing. Think of it like buying clothes. At the high end you
: can get a custom tailored shirt There are lots of tailors around
: the world and lots of options on fabric, cuffs collars, buttons,
: etc. You could go nuts trying to pick just one and call it 'the
: best'. At the other end of the spectrum is a plain white knit T
: shirt. One size fits most. Either choice covers your back. While
: there are a lot of generic boat sizes around, builders have the
: opportunity to tweek these and tailor them to be a closer fit to
: someone. The question then is 'how good is the tailor?'
: And after that consider that a change in diet can change the size
: of the paddler. It is bad to outgrow your shirts but it is
: terrible to outgrow your boat!
: Don't get too obsessed with making a boat for a beginner too
: personalized. Make them a useful boat they can grow with.

: PGJ