"Chris" wrote in message om...
Did the representative explain to you why the 14ft handles better?

Seems to me that the boat length isn't as critical as the size/weight of her
paddle.

A foot or two of length shouldn't make all that much difference in my
opinion, but paddle materials, shape, and weight are important
considerations if your daughter is of slighter build. You also might
consider building her a kayak yourself from plywood.


He did mention why he thought the 14 handled better but I'm having
trouble recalling. I think he was implying that the Osprey 13 would
"slide" around more and be harder to turn. He also mentioned
something about one of them having more "rocker" (I think that was the
term he used), but I am not sure which one or even what it means
(something to do with the "upsweep" of the sides???).

As for paddles, I haven't heard/read much about them. Can any of you
give any suggestions for a good paddle type or material for a small
girl?

I would certainly consider building one myself from plywood as you
suggest. However, I just thought for my very first boat it might be
nice to just put a kit together to get experience with s & g
techniques. For the dinghy which I'm planning to build afterwards,
I'll definitely just go from plans. Also, although I've found plenty
of small flat bottom dinghy plans that look like real nice boats, I
haven't found any kayak plans that look nearly as nice as the pygmy or
clc kits. The kayak plans I've found all look "clunky" to me.