"John R Weiss" wrote in
news:4yUGc.24452$JR4.11172@attbi_s54:

On 6 Jul 2004 06:46:52 -0700, Jake Janovetz wrote:

Does anyone have experience building a few different models? What
are the preferred aspects of each?

I have only built one, a Pygmy Coho. I was a raw novice in woodworking
and boatbuilding, and it took me about 135 hours over 6 months to
complete on available evenings and weekends. The result was excellent:
http://www.tsca.net/puget/coho1.htm.

I think you'll find that either of the major kit makers -- Pygmy or CLC
-- will be equivalent in the building experience. The choice will come
down to the individual boat, regardless of source. As far as I can
tell, the gross visible difference between the 2 companies' boats is
the arched deck (CLC) vs segmented deck (Pygmy).

While that is the obvious visible difference it also contributes to a big
difference in the construction process. The CLC boats use sheer clamp that
is epoxy-glued to the garboards (side panels). The arched deck is then
attached to the sheer clamp (typically with nails). On the Pygmy boats
temporary forms are used to create the shape of the deck then the deck and
hull are attached using a taped seam.

Otherwise, they each
have a range of hull types (hard chine to multi-chine). If you have
the opportunity to test paddle one or more boats from one or both
sources, that will help you decide. I chose Pygmy solely because they
are close to me and I could visit them. I chose the Coho after
test-paddling it and the Arctic Tern; the Coho just felt better to me.

Of the Pygmy boat I tried I liked the Coho the best too. The Arctic Tern,
at least for me, had way too much volume for a Greenland style design.

For the person that posting the initial message to the thread; don't sell
yourself short in your ability to build a cedar strip boat. The building
process is very forgiving, probably more so than building a S&G boat.