Ryan:

a sea kayak is what you are looking for. the kayak portage kart would be a good idea. i have a tough time carrying my kayak for more than about 1/2 mile or so. atleast i don't like to. the portages i typically have to do are in the canoe only wilderness in the adirondacks near saranac lake.

as for kaysk, the guillimot expedition single is a great tracking boat at 19 ft long. its the guillimot that has a tough tracking time at about 17 ft long. very different boats in terms of handling. the 19 ft sounds like it may be ideal for the long range trips you have planned. a stitch and glue boat may work for you as well as they are a bit quicker and maybe easier to build as well. i have a chessapeake 18 which is a large expedition machine. only had it out for day paddles though in the last few months. hope to get an overnight planned for almost every month this summer and early fall. pygmy is another stitch and glue supplier. also, you can get either just plans or a kit from many people. advantages to both - you choose how much you want to build and how much you want to paddle.

as for spidey, i think he is a kayak building newbie but a wood worker/furniture/cabinet maker by trade or day time job. or major hobby also. he does do many things that "normal" first time builders would not consider or worry about. great craftmanship though.

keep listening and asking questions. I'm sure you'll get many more responses.

regards and happy kayak finding,

Pete czerpak albany, NY