Alack and alas, other obligations intervene and I won't get to launch tomorrow as hoped (pesky family reunions). However, I do skin this vessel today, and in the week ahead I can tend to the seat, paddle, etc. (And BTW, thanks for the great paddle input yesterday!).

With a little more time before the water challenge, a question returns to my mind. How will I know if this unorthodox boat is good enough? I understand that performance is certainly an "eye of the beholder" issue, but would love to know what you think.

What characteristics would you demand of this boat before you'd let a loved one use it regularly? How rigid or flexible? What weight? Tracking? Handling? I'm trying to get a sense of how to measure the outcome of my project, and since I'm a rank novice (rank used in the ordinal sense, rather than the olfactory - that's another story!)I'm uncertain how I've done so far. Would my boat get an A, B, F, or Incomplete if those of you who've done this more than me tried it out? What would your criteria be?

ad delirium, ad skiningum!

Wayne