: I grinned when I read that because I had the obvious objection and
: then read your "REBUTTAL" section.

: It also reminded me of one of the places where I originally read
: about this subject, but had forgotten:
:
: http://www.kayakforum.com/cgi-bin/Building/index.cgi/md/read/id/182532/sbj/the-long-boat-myth-pic/

: and the subsequent discussion, most of which I had a hard time
: grasping at the time since I had no point of reference, paddling
: only 17'+ plastic sea kayaks. Since I had a membership to a
: kayak rental place, I grabbed a 14' kayak the next time I went
: out with a group on the river and was very pleased with it for
: paddling in groups where everybody goes the speed of the slowest
: paddler. I have the Sea Tour 15 (actually 14' 9") from
: Bill's last class now.

: At the time I talked to him about it, Nigel mentioned having a
: design that Current Designs puts out describing it as a
: "fast low effort cruising kayak" that's 16' x
: 19.75", the Rumour
: http://www.nigelfosterdesigns.com/852/999.html

: This struck me as a good balance based on some of the discussions
: from the previous thread.

: However, I hadn't really prioritized comfort that much, which as
: Dave and Nick point out is probably one of the most critical
: features on a multi-week trip. There's not much point in saving
: yourself comfort in terms of effort/mile @ a given speed effort
: only to create such discomfort due to the fit.

Hi Stephen,

I really like the Rumour, but I'm way too heavy for it (by about 40 lbs) you might fit, but it'd be snug and it's not a boat I'd want to spend long days over and over in, it's pretty tiny inside. If it were me, I'd want a boat that's easy to paddle for moderate speeds as you won't be going fast day after day. If you get a chance sometime you might try the QCC 400. It's not real long but has nearly plumb ends with not much overhang so it's respectfully quick and while it looks to be too wide the width is mostly above the water, gives great secondary stability and is surprisingly easy to paddle at moderate speeds, also has lots of room inside so you can shift positions at will.

You can build one close to that design, John Winters design (forget the actual name of his company) has plans for a boat close to this boat, also Nick's Auk's are similiar.

Link for the "Caspian Sea" : http://www.greenval.com/caspianlines.gif

Bill H.