Sue, I've built both, my suggestions are to make sure you are building a boat that fits you and the paddling you plan to do. Don't worry about the differences in two of many possible construction methods. A sheer clamp is appropriate if you want a deck made out of one piece of plywood. Reinforced butt joints(as in deck to hull) are appropriate to join a deck and hull that are constructed seperately. Deck rigging is attached according to how you like the rigging not necessarily according to type of construction.

Scarf or butt doesn't really matter when you are varnishing the last coat or paddling off into the sunset. dumb answer but trying to put things into perspective.

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> Also can't decide between HC and MC. What is HC MC?

This is my opinion, but unless you weigh more than around 150lbs these boats might be unnecessarily big. then again if you weighed 140lbs and put two 2 1/2 gal water bottles(ballast) in them they would be very classy birdwatching boats. If you weigh around 140-160 a clc LV16 would be a good choice.

whatever you choose,your garage will become a new sitting room.