Wow !! Nolan, I'd really like to say something here, but, after an hour and a half of reading, I do believe it has all been said. I can't give you any facts, and frankly, I don't care. You probably got the record for longest and most useless thread of all. Well, maybe I could say a couple of things.

1. I used the numbers cause you seem to like them. But, back to near facts. Take a look around, read the posts and absorb. There are hundreds of folks out there/here that have built all those inferior, stinkin' kayaks, either from plans or kits or even designed their own. They are all :) Happy :) Nobody is dying, except the baby you strapped to your non-existant kayak. Shameful !! And a really bad annalogy!

2. Ya know, I kinda like the numbers too. Really ! As for Georges degrees and all his knowledge and claims, he really doesn't show any proof. I have tried many hobbies( and that is precisely what this is ) and I can pretty much asure(?) you that in any and all hobbies, no matter what the instructions say, and no matter if everyone uses them, no two people will come out with exactly the same results on the same project. Peoples skills are different, as is their interpretation. So, even if Nick, Joe, Jay, George or anyone out there told you to do this exactly like this, or that like that, you probably couldn't do it. ( exactly ) Nor could I or anyone else, including themselves. What I mean is, even if George built two identical boats, at the same time, with the same proceedure, I doubt they would be exactly the same. And if they aren't, then which one was the perfect one, and which one was not. All the engineering in the world and the numbers don't mean squat if you can't perfectly duplicate every ounce of glass, resin or the exact amount of wood you planed off of every inch of that boat. It's impossible !

3. Three is my favorite number, as it means I'm cookin'. As for the tests which you said you only found reliable, from those brothers, what their names...........??? Anyway, they applied to certain little pieces of plywood, with glass applied to them, is that correct?? What does a flat little piece of wood, clamped in a totally solid clamp have to do with a rounded boat, with no solid pieces to hold it anywhere. All those changes affect the results of any tests. Now, If your kayak, which you used to kill the baby, shamefully, I might add, was flat and had solid things all around it to hold it, I could see where those tests might really.........well, O.K. maybe they still wouldn't mean squat. Every area on your fictitious boat is under different loads at the same time, so, a singular load test really couldn't be too accurate. Instead of being clamped in a vise, the very next 6" piece of your boat could/would be under an opposing load condition depending on what you hit or how you are positioned in the boat. ???

4. George, if nothing else, is a salesman. He needs to sell his boats as much as anyone else in the business. He's going to tell folks whatever he feels he needs to, to sell his boats. And judging by your paranoia, he's got you hook, line and sinker.

O.K., no numbers this time. I can see maybe three situations here: You don't really want to build a boat; You can't swim or are otherwise terrified of water. ( say, you weren't that baby, were you? ) George has you brainwashed. Is George your boss or cousin??

All kidding aside, and I hope you took it that way, but, I think you are overlooking the obvious, and trying to overstate the possibilities. Like I said, there are too many fellas and gals out there having fun with these boats, and no proof that they are killers. Until there are some failures, there is no way of really knowing how safe they are, or aren't. ?? So, you either build one and use it, or .....................??

If you own a car, then you know about the rigorous testing they go through. Well, did you know that the only cars tested are Wednesday cars?? It is a well known fact that there are more recurring problems with cars built on Mondays and Fridays, as folks aren't into their jobs on those days, so, naturally, they wouldn't want to test a Monday car. What day was your car built on?? Is it totally up to snuff?? You strap your kids into that car everyday and you don't know squat about whether it is in prime condition or not. The model passed all the tests, but,......... Ever heard of a recall?? Those are on perfectly engineered vehicles according to all the test results.

Even if you had all these exacting standards you request, there's still a chance you would make a mistake, or just misjudge something. And the only true way of testing them as you wish, would be to build kayaks and test them on every inch of their design. Under all sorts of load tests and so forth. Has George done that?? Then, where is he getting all his info on the killer kayaks?? Too many unanswerable questions. My advice is: if you are so worried about these craft, then, either buy one of Georges boats or just start looking for another hobby, as I don't think you will ever be totally comfortable in a kayak. Then again, you could build one and add whatever layup you think you feel safe with and post your results. That's what everyone else does. For what it's worth, or not. :)

FYI..... I am a newbie and I would not hesitate to build the boat I have plans for, as I've heard others who have built them and are happy. If however, I had heard of some folks who had problems with this model, then, I would probably try something else, or modify it. ??????????????????

Have a happy Easter, and don't forget to untie that baby. :)

Rehd