> I am starting the process of deciding which Kayak to build. I would
> appreaciate any helpful suggestions that you could provide for the new
> builder. I have a good deal of woodworking experience. I live on the Texas
> Gulf coast and the Kayak will be used pimarily in the Laguna Madre or in
> the surf. I desire an easy build for the first Kayak and then would like
> to expand to more difficult. Thanks Jack

Hi Jack, Everyone is full of helpful suggestions here!! Most of the wood kayak designs that I know of have been used in the surf, I can't speak for their performance, but durability should be well-designed in. If you have a good deal of woodworking experience, the sky's the limit. I built my first kayak, a Stitch & Glue CLC Chesapeake 17 this spring. It was very easy. I know that I could have handled a strip-built kayak no problem. I have a pretty fair amount of woodworking experience. If you are at the planning stage now, consider building a "stripper". You have the whole winter ahead of you, and you could easily finish one before spring paddling season. My current boat handles beautifully, and it is beautiful, but not AS beautiful as a strip-built kayak. I really want to build a strip-built boat now, but my wife says,"what do you need 2 kayaks for?!?," so I must now convince her of my need for a second kayak before I can even begin construction! If you think you'd eventually like a strip-kayak, I'm pretty sure you could start with one as a first boat. If you want to increase difficulty for a second boat, you can incorporate some difficult, but beautiful patterns in the wood strips themselves.

As for _which_ design to build, Mike Scarborough hit the nail right on the head. Paddle as many boats as you can get your grubby little fingers on. You will find that there are certain design features that you really like, and ones you dislike. You can then buy plans for a boat that has the features you like. You will find that as your paddling skills increase, you will want a higher-performance kayak. Rather than make a very "entry-level" kayak and then rapidly grow out of it, use your kayak-testing-and-evaluation period to get comfortable in a kayak, and then build a great boat that you can really appreciate for many years.

Good Luck!

Shawn