Brandon,

Greetings from Winnipeg, MB Canada. I just finished doing all the research that you are doing now. I am 6'2" weigh 235 lbs and was looking to build a S&G that would carry me and my gear. I narrowed the field down to the Chesapeak 18 (by CLC) the Merganser 18 (by Shearwater Boats) or the 19'Baidarka (also by Shearwater Boats). Pygmy also has some models that may be of interest to you because you are building from a kit whereas I was interested in plans and for the boats that interested me they offered kits but not plans. The Shearwater website has a nice chart that you can look up the right boat for you with respect to: your intended use, your height, and your weight.

Rather than recomending a particular boat, my suggestion is to make use of the websites to narrow down the models that suite your needs then email the manufacturers with specific questions. The people I dealt with were very friendly, eager to help, and their response to email was almost immediate. The decision to build is easier than the decision of what to build! Good Luck.

Ken

P.S. I chose the 19'Baidarka from Shearwater it was just too pretty to not build.

: Does anyone know of a stitch and glue kit available that would carry me (@230
: pounds, 6'6" tall, size 15 shoe), and up to 200 pounds of gear? Any
: tips would be greatly appreciated!!! p/s... you'd laugh if you knew what I
: paddled on whitewater!!!:)