Ambassador,

The Jimmy Skiff and the Skerry both have a capacity of 450 lbs. The Eastport Pram, 375 lbs and the Passagemaker Dinghy, 650 lbs. The NE Dory has a payload of 800 lbs. Those are the maximum safe loads including all the gear and saftety equipment you'll need to carry. Last time I checked, children grow pretty fast as well. The Jimmy Skiff is probably the simplest build for a beginner, but the other designs have their advantages too. The boat you actually get built will be more fun for you and your family than the one that overwhelmed you and sits, uncompleted, under a tarp.

One important point to keep in mind is that all boat designs are compromises. No boat does everything well. I'd worry most about picking a kit that you'll finish.

Cheers,

Dick

   I agree with everything Dick said. But if you want to take your whole family out sailing, your only options are Pocketship or the Southwester Dory. I've got a  Northeaster Dory, and it can easily handle a family like yours for a row. I've sailed with three adults in the boat, but I can't say everyone was comfortable!

If Pocketship is the boat of your dreams, go for it. If you take your time and keep working, I'm confident you can build it. These are excellent kits with wonderful manuals. If you want a boat you can row as well as sail with your whole family aboard, choose  the Southwester Dory. If you are willing to take turns being it in the boat, then each of the others can make very good sense.

As Dick said, all boat designs involve compromises. Choose the one that speaks to you!

   I have no first hand experiance with any of the boats you mentioned but from what you said I would lean toward the Jimmy Skiff because it's the one that would get you out on the water while your kids are still 9 and 6. 

It's the most straight forward build, one your family could help with and a little less $$$$ particularly if you don't try to give it a museum finish. Even if your kids decide that boats are not their thing you would still have the fun of building it. If they're hooked, well you could build another boat boat.

   I have no idea why that ended with "boat boat" but be forwarned. It's hard to only build one.

   Just to add to your myriad of choices, CLC is developing a new sailing skiff and the prototype can be seen at the moment to the extreme left of the Shop Cam. I think it's to a more robust version of the Jimmy Skiff but I don't remember the particulars. The "fish eye" effect of the Shop Cam makes it hard to judge the proportions but it looks interesting.

I found it:

A prototype sailing/rowing/power skiff. No timeline on release of that design. We've got to finish it, test it, improve it, test some more, send out BETA versions, make more improvements, and then...(drum roll)...create an instruction manual.

Bob, you've suffered more than most over our sclerotic new-product roll out schedule...  I'm endlessly wringing my hands over how much time (and money) it takes, but I've never been sorry for taking the time to get it right...

  I agree with the posts above, but would add that getting some sailing experience will greatly help you make your choice.  If you can, join a local sailing club and/or take lessons.  Take the family along to see if they like it.  If half of you family hates sailing, then the smaller boats would be options. 

Similarly, both the SWD and PS are awefully big projects for a first build.  Can a first builder do them, yes, if you have the time, energy and enjoy building.  Since you havn't built before, you don't konw that you will enjoy it.  I would suggest that you start small and cheap with something like an EP.

   I wouldn't want to tackle one big enuff for the whole family as a first build.  I'd vote for a kit and one that is a fast start and fast finish so it gets on the water and gets some use.  Then think about a more complicated one.  I've built a Sassafras 12 canoe and a Skerry.  I'd say the Jimmy Skiff would go together faster than the LapStitch designs.  It'd certainly finish up faster.  Broader simpler surfaces to sand and finish.  Just my 2 cents.

Ambassador,

BTW: Thre are already completed CLC boats for sale at http://www.clcboats.com/forum/bazaar/. I don't know if any appeal to you, but it might be worth a look.

Cheers,

Dick

   Everybody envisions a beautiful day, adequate wind, the family in the boat, cold drink in hand, soft music playing, picture perfect and everything is wonderful.  Reality is a little less than that. 

Make the first one easy. Get at least one other to invest some time into the build. Obiviously wife needs to be "onboard".  But they will be more for the project if involved from the start.  Its more than the sailing. 

The final boat needs to carry at least two.  

My first boat went out once. Then I sold it. That was a bunch of boats ago.