OK guys, thanks to all the awesome information i got about boat designs, i've decided to go with the chesapeake 18 to haul me and my heap-o-gear. now, heather is looking at the arctic tern for her 5'6", 130# self (plus 120#'s of gear, or so),,, what's the word? by the way, y'all are great for giving up so much free advice. oh, and one last question... after building the chesapeake from a kit, would building the tern from plans be the way to go? how much time will i save by buying the whole kit? time is kind of an issue, i must say. thx...