> Pete,

> You have mentioned some very different kayaks. The Chessie 16 and the
> Merganser are hard chined kayaks, while the Osprey is a multi chined
> kayak. Does she want a hard chined kayak?

She doesn't really care. She is an experienced paddler so doesnt really need the high initial stability of HC. She wants a S&G of similar size, perforamce to the Currents designs solstice which I think does not have a hard chine. She more went for the Osprey due to its 16 ft length vs. the larger Pygmy Tern with the hardchine. A 16 ft Tern would be good though if it was available.

If so you might want to look at
> the Arctic Tern Standard or 14. The 14 is designed for paddlers who under
> 150 lbs. She could easily handle the standard, but it might not track as
> well for her unless she added some weight to the kayak. Does she plan on
> using it for camping, or just day trips.

Lots of camping with a few day trips thrown in. Plus the Pygmy boats are less desireable since I would rather save some $$ and built from plans. She has traditionally paddled 15-17 ft boats and I think the 16 footer is a okay choice.

I don't know about the Merganser
> yet, I know of someone who lives in a nearby town has one. There are
> distinct differences between the CLC and Pygmy you mentioned. The peaked
> decks do shed water very well, but the deck on my Tern hardly ever gets
> water on it, as it takes very tall, steep waves to get the bow to plunge.

> Mike

I want to try a non-CLC design and would prefer to go with a plan rather than a kit. However, if logic points towards CLC 16 or Pygmy as better than I'll go whatever route. She is funding it so I'm just in charge of trying to help her select a kit in addition to mostly building it. If pygmy made plans for all their kits they might get my business since its easier to get opinions on their boats than Shearwater design stuff.

The lines on the Shearwater did look pretty similar to the Tern, just shorter in length and maybe a bit narrower. So thats why I made the initial thought. Plus I would rather get the plans than the kit since I can operate a jig saw and since my labor is free and we have a place that stocks okuome that I can drive too.

Thanks. Happily accepting more comments.

Pete Albany, NY