Phil,

Look at the Chesapeake 17. It meets all your requirements; easy to build (a lot of us started with the Chessy series), very stable, still pretty quick and able to carry a ton of gear. There are others that will work but this one will get you on the water pretty quick.

George K

Phil

I am 6'4" with an inseam of 36".  I will not fit in a Ches 17.  If you are similar to me  you will have to do the Ches 18.  Shoe size is important for us.  I have 13s on my feet and wearing shoes is not an option.  Cockpit size is of huge importance.  Even the 18 cockpit is too small.  Legs too long to be able to get out.  Fortunately this is an easy fix.  If you order a kit make sure  you tell the clc folks that you need a larger cockpit.  I made mine 4" longer.  Maybe 6" would have been better. 

Kim

Hmmm...

I took a look and see the cockpits and feet room are the same for the 17 and 18.  Whatever you do you still have to make the cockpit bigger.

Eric Schade, who designed the wonderful Shearwater kayaks for CLC, is your size, as am I. When I found the Shearwater 17 too tight for comfort, Eric suggested his Merganser 17W, which is an inch wider, a bit higher, and fits me like a custom-made suit.

I would suggest you start with a Wood Duck 14 or Shearwater Sport, both of which perform well but have roomy cockpits, can haul camping gear, and will take a spray skirt.

-Wes

Wow, quick responses! Those are all great suggestions and I really appreciate it!  Ill take a deeper look into those models.  The big thing aswell is that with my lack of experience, I dont know my preferences either.  One would suppose that if i build it, dont like it, Ill figure that out quick and can always sell the one Ive made and make another.  Anyone on here have any experience having sold a kayak they made?  Is that even a viable option?

Check this site:  http://www.clcboats.com/forum/bazaar/

Or you can click on it at the top of this forum.

My too tight Shearwater 17 sold quickly through the CLC bazaar for close to what I had invested in it, not counting my time of course. -Wes

I'm not as big as you but the WR18 is a great boat, fast stable, lots of room.  The only drawback is that it does not have much rocker, si if you go into the ocean, you will not have as much maneuverability as you might like in waves.

Phil, I am 6"0" and 230# with a size 11 shoe and I fit very nicely in an Auk 17. With my older  knees I increase the cockpit by 3" and I do paddle with a spray skirt. Just spent the last week paddling Bodega Bay in Northern California. Just an Option. Hagen