: I agree that Todd should look at the Sea Tour exp boats, which look
: very nice for a larger paddler.

: But, having built an aluminum framed folding Sea Tour, I can't say
: that I particularly favor them over Tom's other boats. I found
: the whole assembly process to be tediously long, and the boat to
: be overly flexible, and a bit too heavy. If I wanted a folding
: kayak, I would definitely be building one of Tom's Sonnet
: inflatables, instead. They weigh considerably less, perform
: well, have vastly fewer parts and go together in less than 10
: minutes.
: In any case, I prefer the lightweight, stiffness and the quick and
: inexpensive build of the wooden frames, and a taut fabric skin
: to one of wrinkled PVC.
: But those are just my own preferences - there is certainly nothing
: wrong with the aluminum framed folders! I just think that, for a
: folding kayak, Tom's inflatables are a better option.

Man; there are too many choices! It's a good problem to have though. I do think I'll definately stick with the wood frame sytle as I'm much more comfortable with that and it seems simpler. I'm kind of fond of the Sea Tour 15R. Any idea how much I'd have to raise the gunnel and deck ridge to have it fit my 260 lb bod? If I don't choose this model, then I'll probably go with the EXP version, but since after next winter I'll have a large volume boat in the North Star, I'd like to build something a bit different if feasable.