I went with Laughing Loon because I had seen the Panache and the lines were exaxtly what I was looking for. Yes, the cost was a little more than others I had seen, but it was the style I wanted. Plus, the instructions are great and Rob Mack's technical support is great as well.

: It is not wise to value a set of plans simply by the price. The value of a
: set kayak plans is a factor of what you end up with. Do the instructions
: that come with the plans match your wood working skill? Can you build the
: boat you want with the lower cost plans? For example if you want a kayak
: styled after the Alaskan Baidarka, Laughing Loon’s Northstar is the only
: Baidarka wood strip plan set I am aware of.

: Determine what you want from the boat in terms of final boat and its
: construction issues. After you have that down look at all the vendors.
: Which of their boats most closely match you desires. If it comes down to a
: tie between two or more, then you should consider plan cost.

: Don