Kent,

The Shearwaters are good boats and will do just fine for what you described, but you may also want to consider the Wood Duck 12. I'm basing that on your description of the river. The WD12 is shorter and lighter, which makes it easier to turn and maneuver in restricted spaces. The lighter weight makes it easier to accelerate (though it's not as ultimately fast as the Shearwater). It's also less akward to carry. Another reason for the WD12 is that it is more stable than the Shearwater.

How does this work in with your river? I hang out a lot on similar-sized rivers and here's a typical trip in my WD12:

Unload from the rack on my truck and carry it past all the fishermen illegally using the boat pier to fish from. Under 40 lbs and 12 feet makes it easier to clear all the poles and junk they have scatteried on the pier. Even better, when the tide's right (this is a tidal river) I can launch from a sand beach.

Put on an extra burst of speed to get throught the eddy at the end of the pier. If caught, turn while accelerating to get into the main channel. Once away from the pier, paddle more slowly. Go upstream in a small tributary, threading my way between water plants, submerged tree trunks and under canopies. Get to the old beaver dam where a break is channeling water from upststream. Put on a quick burst of speed to shoot the opening while turning left. 12 feet lets me get the entire boat through, instead of jamming in the hole. I've now given the slip to all power boats, jetskis, sea kayaks and canoes, without having to portage across the dam.

Get to the new dam, the one without any breaks. Using my paddle as a support, stand up in the boat and look out over the beaver pond. See the deer, beaver, muskrats, birds, turtles, etc. that would be invisible from the bottom of the boat.

Head over to my favorite frog pond and listen to the bullfrog serenade during lunch. Slide down into the boat and take a nap, using the seat and my PFD as a pillow.

The WD12's size and weight make it more convenient for a small river. The Shearwater's sea kayak-like characteristics make it more suitable for a large river or estuary. Either will work very nicely for your situation, but since you asked for advice, that's mine. Consider the WD12.

Whichever you choose, you're going to have a nice boat for your new home.

Have fun,

Laszlo

Another vote for the WD12.  I absolutely love mine.  I use it in creeks, slow moving rivers, and lakes primarily for birdwatching and nature photography.  Really easy to maneuver and increibly stable.  I can sit (and paddle) with my legs crossed and my while stationary my tripod with camera is right in front of me at the ready.

I recently added a Seal Skirts Splash Deck - it helps with some of the paddle drippings, but more importantly gives my legs some protection from the sun.

Hope this helps!

It sounds like you've not kayaked yet.  I think now that summer is here that there must be a place in Mich. to at least rent a kayak, sit on top, and try the sport out. If you have skip this part.

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If you just want a more stable knock around boat with some performance charactoristics for your river  the WD is a good choice.  The Shearwater and sport have more capabilities and would handle bigger water. But, like riding a bicycle,  might seem a little more dificult to balance at first.

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I live on a river too. That river gets a little boring sometimes and I have to branch out and do an 18 miler down town on a different river and back. Or go to the other side of the state for 4 days of kayaking.  If you too get the wonderlust the longer 17 ft boat might be the thing.

   Dear Lazlo and Grumpy - thanks so much for your advice/experiences regarding the WD boats.  I hadn't really considered them, but after your input, I'm seriously leaning toward the WD12 or even the WD14, as the slightly bigger WD14 would allow me to take my dog (20 lb Sheltie) along for the ride.  However, does the additional size of the WD14 vs the WD12 remove some of the advantages of the WD12 for my river?  

My plan is to paddle several miles upstream, do some nature watching/photography and then float/paddle back to the house.  From your description, it sounds as if either WD boat could do this and even the Shearwater Sport.  

Thanks again for your advice - much appreciated.

Kent 

>>>>However, does the additional size of the WD14 vs the WD12 remove some of the advantages of the WD12 for my river? >>>>>>

You'd mainly notice the difference if there was any wind.  The Wood Duck 14 has a lot more "sail area" than the Wood Duck 12.

   Hi Kent, I'm a photographer who's been in canoes and kayaks since age 11. For photography I make a strong recommendation for the WD. Was leaning strongly Shearwater until you mentioned photography.

Cheers,

E

   I love my shearwater17 ,its great at racking up miles in sloppy conditions, But for what  you describe I think one of the wood ducks would be a better fit.I think you'll enjoy the comfort of that spacious open cockpit.buy the boat that best suits what you'll actually be doing in it

I hope to finish my first boat build, the Wood Duck 12 by this week end.

You've all re-instilled it in me that I made the right choice, as I like to take lazy paddle arounds and shoot photography of the wildlife.

I do occasionally prefer a bit more adventure in some light rapids. But Id be afraid to bang it up on the rocks, and figured I'd save my plastic kayaks for those runs.

 Laszlo, Grumpy, do you guys even worry about that?

Thanks

Bri 

Bri,

I don't have any rapids in the rivers I normally paddle. That's what jetski wakes are for :-)

Laszlo

   I have scared the boat on logs, stumps, rocks and oysters. I built it. I can fix it.

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The limestone of the Suwannee river can do some damage. Most of it is scratches in the varnish. Logs, stumps, and concrete boat ramps do about the same. Nails sticking out of docks when running pilings on a following sea do bad things. But nothing beats the cut to the glass that oyster shell can do on the Matanzas river.  Once again. I built it, I can fix it. Sanding and revarnishing the bottom usually takes about three days out of my week every other month depending upon the type water I've been paddling on. These boats are really very sturdy.

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Oh yes. Walk it down to tthe water, rinse and then carry to the car, trailer, truck, etc. Get the sand off so it doesn't grind on the rollers or cradles.

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However I have a functional attitude about boats. They are to use. If I wanted furniture I'd build furniture.

I do know this. Sometimes you just have to make a decision and pull the trigger.  If you analysize too long nothing gets done.    

Amen to the oyster shells. Though Friday I ran aground on some pierced steel plates that someone decided to put in the riverbed for some unknown reason. Turns out they hardly scratched the epoxy/graphite bottom I put on my Wood Duck, which surprised the heck outta me since I ran aground hard enough to stick and it was work getting off again.

Laszlo

Laszlo, that's a beautiful little tribute to the Wood Duck 12 that you posted above! It makes me want to own one . . . or at least have the pleasure of watching you use your paddle to rise into standing position!   

   I too have a WD12 and love it but to play devil's advocate, the Mill Creek 13.5 and 16 look like a good option.

Also, the epoxy/graphite on the bottom is a must. As a test I coated part of a 2x4 with it and a couple of weeks later I wacked it on a corner of a concrete foudation. It chipped the coating but not to the wood and also chipped the concrete. I'm sold.

  I own both a shearwater 16 & 17.  I would vote that you look at wood duck or the Mill Creek.  The Shearwater is really meant for open water (big lakes).  The longer the boat is the harder it is to turn (bit of an oversimplification, but the generalization holds).  In a river, you want a more manuverable boat, also one with enough initial stability for photographs.  The wood duck is a more modern design than the Mill Creek, so unless you are looking for 2 paddlers (Mill Creek 16.5), I would echo the suggestion of one of the Wood Duck models.

I imagine you could find a place to rent a plastic kayak for the day.  Most of the sit inside plastic kayaks will have similar lengths to the wood duck, but will weight twice as much and be a bit slower.  Not a bad way to decide if it is the right model.

Hm there's been some correspondence here since my last post.

I Like the Epoxy/Graphite (which Im assuming is black) idea to make the boat more useful and take away some fear of getting into shallow and tight corners and running up on the beach and scratching up the bottom.  

I like it except that as a first time boat builder, I've become too hooked on the grain of the Okoume on the bottom.  It's too pretty to paint over.  As you say Grumpy, in the process of building it I believe I've also learned to fix it.   

I may tire of that after a few times and then go ahead with the graphite.

Thanks for the Input

Bri

   I'll make a pitch for an open canoe w/ kayak double blade paddle, the Sassafras 12. I built a Mk. 1 years ago for my then young nephew and it came out quite nice.  It is lighter even that the 12' kayaks.  I started out in canoes and still like them for a lot of tasks.  The Sassafras is sweet looking, light (about 30 lbs if you are reasonably careful) and fits either a reasonable sized adult or a 10 year old kid.  With room for a pup.