THanks for your response and this helps me feel like I am not going to make a fatal mistake in selecting a company. Any advice on what type of kayak is best for a beginner like me. I was thinking about the CLC 16. What would be the advantage of the lower sheer 16? and what does that specifically mean? I plan to use it mostly on back bays on the New Jersey Shore, with some ocean paddling too. I also hope that I could use if for fishing a bit too. thanks again, Jed

: Jed, Both companies use 4mm ply,epoxy and glass. If I was you I'd narrow the
: choice to which boat you want then which company is simply the consequence
: of who makes the boat. CLC makes a 16 footer and lower sheer 16 which is
: good if you don't head out with 220lbs (you and gear) every time you
: paddle. Pygmy makes good designs as well. The negative advertising is a
: relic of quirky personalities and doesn't reflect the attitudes of the
: people working at these business. In my opinion the various "defining
: characteristics" (scarf/butt/multi/single chine) don't matter much
: when out paddling. I've built a few from both companies and look forward
: to building more.