I'm looking to build a small boat for weekend outings and maybe lake or
river tours lasting probably up to about a week. Nothing long term. Just me
and my wife. I haven't found a design on the web that I especially like, but
I think I can combine the features of 3 boats to make something closer to
what I want.

We are getting close to retirement and want to spend more time on the water.
I have a little john boat that I use for some lake fishing and I have a toy
sail boat that is not comfortable nor dry.

Here goes:
I like the Kingston15:
http://www.angelfire.com/ks/diyplans/kingston15.html
(watch out for pop-ups)
The Kingston appears to fit all my basic requirements, but I have a few
concerns. I believe I would like a full length keel similar to the
Weekender. It would protect the hull from groundings and other accidental
impacts and it might help in sailing closer to the wind (less lee way). I
also like the hull extensions found on the Vagabond20+ - they help by
lengthening the dynamic water line and provide a little extra storage.

So the questions a
1. How significant is a full length keel. What are the plusses and minuses?
2. How useful are the hull extensions for sailing performance?


Thanks