Hi All –  After 2 years, I'm back at it again doing my 3rd CLC build. Previous 2 were Tandem Wherry and Oxford 2 shell. Now I'm doing a Kaholo 14 for a friend of mine. I've never done a hybrid (strip plank) before and I'm guessing my questions have all been answered before, so forgive me for being repetitive but I don't want to scroll through 200 pages of posts (suggestion for CLC: maybe it's time to organize the forum with folders for specific models, build issues, etc?).

1. The board is 14' long. The strips are 8' long. I'm guessing for strength, you don't want all the ends of strips to line up, but rather should be staggered - like traditional boat planking. But doesn't that limit some of the creativity in stip planking design? I've been doing some internet searches for cool strip planked deck designs, but have come up with precious little (except a cool article in Small Boats Magazine about a kayak called "Celeste" with some amazing inlay work).

2. If I'm going to install the Beckson port, do I still need to install the breather tube kit? I sorta feel like that breather tube assembly is ugly and detracts from the design. Kinda looks like an umbilical cord. The ability to open the port eliminates some of the pressure differential issues, doesn't it? Has anybody discovered/used an alternative kind of pressure release valve?

3. My friend wants a recessed carrying handle. Has anybody got any good designs that have worked? Related: are there any good products/designs for bow/stern recessed anchor points that could be used to attach toggle handles?

4. She wants to install an electric motor so she doesn't have to paddle as much. I was thinking an OceanVolt sail drive with batteries installed between the bulkheads. (Just kidding on this one!)

Any thoughts on items 1-3 above would be appreciated.

– JF