: There are some good reasons to built a kayak using anthropometric
: measurements, one of which is the experiential learning process, which
: gives insights into how the original kayakers built their boats. But there
: are probably better tools today to design a kayak to fit the specific
: needs of a specific paddler.

What tools of today are you refering to ? Can they be used by the average Joe or would you need 4 years of college to apply them to a design for oneself to build, as a novice builder.Even the cad programs must have a starting point to work from. Some I have seen start with you picking the length and width you want and building out from there. How do you know what length or width you want? What fits on your car or garage? Paddle many boats as you see and guess which one felt "right"? Even an experienced paddlier could have trouble quessing between 10 -15 boats which is "best".Different paddling conditions would or could change their minds quickly. Things like the chine alone could make a difference given everything else equal. It gets very confusing when you jump from boat to boat to tell which is best. Then of course you are not testing them side by side but over a length of time at different places and conditions. There are many vairables to consider too. Comfee seat, stabilities, volume, material built with, etc. How do you know if it is the "right" one for you? You would need to do some long paddles or many short paddles to be sure that this is the only one for you.
What I am suggesting is there should a way to guesstimate what would be good for an individual by their size, weight, and proportions to have a starting point to work from. As you say modern tech is easier to work with than modern tech should be able to tabulate a formula (s) to custom build for a boat using a persons anthropmetric measurements and apply these to the modern principles of boat building and design,to draft a plan specific for that person. It just seems more accurate than the quessing game now.(Try it and see if you like it method.)
I am not an engineer or physics/math professer so I do not have a clue. Anyone out there qualified to say if it is feasible?

"average"
Dave M