The boat owner doesn't own the design. Intellectual property is not part of the physical object.

I ask so many questions, not so much to find ways to get away with something, but rather, to avoid using someone's design in a way that he doesn't approve of. The chances of getting caught doing something of questionable ethics are nearly zero, since I intend to highly modify the deck and upper portion of the hull. When I get done, the designer would be unlikely to recognize the boat as his design. In order to remain ethical I want to know that the designer approves of my use of his design as a guide, or blatant use of part of his design.

If the Guillemot Play offsets were in Nick's book, I'd use them as a start. I wonder how much handling difference there is between the "Guillemot" and the "Guillemot Play". I might input the Guillemot offsets from the book into a CAD program, and then modify the shape above the waterline to suit my tastes. I think Nick would be okay with that. But what if I build two boats at the same time?

> I have often schemed of easy ways to build an exact replica of
> a kayak, or any boat for that matter. One method I think would work
> would be to lay the kayak on its side, tape wax paper at one foot
> intervals along the sides and laying up some fiberglass making sure
> that the glass extends far enough to create a half shape of a form.
> It would be fairly easy to do. The hardened shapes of glass could
> then be transfered to paper, and the mirror image traced. Of course
> you would have to obtain permission of the boat owner. Now is this
> a copyright infringement? What if the boat owner give permission?
>

>