: They are pretty, aren't they?

I love the dark 'merlot' color, but those were stained before assembly. If built as usual they'll have the honey color that you see in the picture of the Sunrise Single. Staining might not be best idea for a first-time builder, and most experienced builders seem to avoid it, too. According to some posts here, the stain can easily come out blotchy or uneven. Stillwater is a small side operation run by a high-end furntiure maker, so he had a bit more confidence in his ability to apply a nice stain job...

: Has anyone here ever built or paddled one?

I hope someone who has does post here (because I'd like to build one for a friend, too), but I haven't heard of anyone here who has.

: I'd have to build something with
: some pretty intense initial stability. If it's at all tippy, he'd be
: swimming for sure. Only guy I know who could flip a 17ft. Grumman in calm
: water.

One thing these boats have going for them is that you're seated right on the hull. This means your center of gravity is lower and you're less likely to tip. Unless your dad is very, um, top-heavy, I don't think I'd worry too much. If you build the Sunset (the more canoe-looking one), have him use it with the seats low and with a double paddle. Being round-bottomed (the boat, that is:), these boats will have low inital stability (they'll feel tippy at first), but with a 33" beam, he'd have to be a heck of a klutz to be able to tip it over.

: Good point. And it'd be good for karma points for the whole garage squatting
: thing.

If you decide on these boats, take note that their prices ($340-$390) only include the pre-cut wood parts and plans. Adding epoxy and fiberglass cloth will bring the cost up to about $700, which will be comparable to most other kits.

Also, Stillwater recommends a layer of fiberglass cloth on the exterior, but only taped joints on the interior. I'd recommend beefing it up and putting a full layer of fiberglass cloth on the interior. The wood panels are only 3mm (most stitch-n-glue kits include 4mm mahogany panels), and I don't think it'd be durable enough with only taped joints. If you build one, make sure to get some opinions on a proper glass/epoxy layup here on this bulletin board.

Dean