> As sea-kayakers and builders, we definitely need to get
> all the on-water time we can get, and encourage others to develop good
> paddling, navigation, and rescue skills. Attending a regional boat show is
> often way out of the question for a lot of inland builders. What to do
> then? Making your own boat available to prospective builders is about the
> only option I can think of.

That's kinda what I had in mind, Shawn. But I was interested in seeing what kind of posts were generated. It's been great seeing the wide range of responses, and I can definitely see that many folks just can't get to the big shows to paddle --- and don't feel that they need to.

I wonder what it would take to set up some informal network of builders who would allow a potential builder to see what a specific boat felt like in realistic conditions in specific geographic areas. Thoughts?

Jack Martin