OK sense my farting duck didn't get much chat going I guess I will jump into this one. I design my own boats so my reality is that my boats will probably never perform like the boats that have gone through several prototypes and were designed and paddled by very knowledgeable people in the process. That being said I may not be hitting the bulls eye but I am not missing the target either. My designs have performed well for what I designed them for and yes I would modify a few things on each of them. I think the key is to be realistic about your ability and the conditions you are going to paddle in. If your ability does not match the conditions you desire to paddle in do something about it. As far as boat selection I think you define well your ability and paddling conditions and ask for feedback from people of similar abilities and conditions. For the vast majority of paddlers the kayak will probably make less difference than the paddle.