Hi All,

I have a specific question about the Guillemot's handling characteristics and would like a bit of input from people that have paddled one.

I am not aware of a Guillemot in the Ottawa, Ontario area that I can try out and all my experience has been with hard chime designs so I would appreciate some comments.

I want to use the Guillemot for long distance touring and don't plan to carry anything more that a camera, some rain gear and lunch - 175 to 200 pounds fully loaded.

I have been reading some of the posts about tracking. A bunch of things affect tracking - design, paddler weight, weight placement, paddling style, rudders, skegs, etc..

Since I have not started building my Guillemot yet [working on a pair of Chesapeake 17 LTs right now] this is the time to make some decisions.

Do you think the Guillemot design is fine, as is, for my needs? Should I consider stretching the form spacing to build a longer kayak. Should I be thinking about a retractable or fixed skeg.

My friend has suggested that a 24 bottle case of beer would be excellent for ballast and when that was gone that I would notice/care if I was paddling straight or not ;-)

TIA for the help.

Hank