: Here's the question: How can I find a design that would fit me as well as the
: Carolina? What's a good basic resource? I have no idea how to start this
: process.

Hey, Bruce -
Fit is one thing and handling is quite another. If you really like the way the Carolina "fit", you can probably copy that fit in any number of strip or s&g kayaks. Just go back to REI with a tape measure/notepad and take the following measurements:
~ cockpit opening - length and width and note whether it had knee braces intruding into the cockpit opening.
~ deck height from the hull to the deck at the rear of the cockpit and the front of the cockpit.
~ the width between the hip braces
~ the length of the seat.
~ Finally, the internal width and height of the hull where your feet were placed on the footpegs.
Those measurements will give you a starting point for designing the fit of your own boat.
Like everyone else has mentioned, however, it's important to try a couple of designs on the water. What might have felt like good fit in the showroom might feel quite different on the water. At the very least, try to test paddle a hard-chine Greenland-style boat vs. a round-chined boat. Those two designs will feel quite different.