: She blindsided me last night when she came out into the garage and sat down
: on the steps. I could tell she wanted something, but was hesitant to ask,
: so I made polite conversation and gave her some space and time. Then out
: it came... "Dad - do you think that maybe we can build a boat
: together, for me, when your done with yours." I thought I'd died and
: gone to heaven!

: So, I could do all the research myself (with her, of course) but in the
: interest of striking while the iron is hot, I was hoping that I could get
: a quick jump start by asking you folks for a list of boat designs that I
: should check out.

Consider a skin covered boat. Go to the clark Craft website (www.clarkcraft.com and look at the offerings they have there. Mostly these are older designs, and the pictures look "Quaint", but canvas covered boats are fast to build, light weight, and don;t require great amounts of materials or carpentry skills.

If the design you chose uses frames, she could cut the frames by hand with a coping saw, or with an electric sabre saw. If it uses ribs, she could split them and steam or heat-gun bend them herself.

: I'm paranoid of getting her into trouble, so I want to start her off in a
: boat with good overall stability. She either needs real good tracking or a
: rudder, since her steering skills don't yet exist. The boat needs to be an
: easy design to build - she has no woodworking experience, and if it's
: difficult or time consuming, it may not hold her interest. But, she's not
: overly interested in a S&G boat - although I may be able to talk her into
: one.

Go for a smaller boat (11 to 14 feet) and it will sink a bit lower in the water which will improve her stability, even if it is a narrow boat. Steering she will get accustomed to.

Plywood is also a good material for a quickly built boat. Lots of s&G designs out there. You might get a copy of either of Chris Kulczycki's "Kayak Shop " books. No sense getting both versions, though. The newer book seems to replace the older one. it has three newer boat designs, and repeats a good deal of other information from the first book. the CLC website will show some nicely built copies of those models. www.clc.com

I'll email you a copy of plans for a simple kayak you can build (from plywood)in a short time. It is from a book on crafts for boys, but hopefully a girl won't object

PGJ