My kayak is a Chesapeake Light Craft (aka CLC) Mill Creek 16.5. The CLC company are suppliers of boat kits, boat plans and boat building materials. CLC's distinctive boat designs include kayaks, canoes rowing boats, dinghies and sailboats. CLC's been doing this since 1991 and nobody has sold more kits and plans. More than 20,000 CLC boats are on the water around the world. Their designs are built by amateurs and professionals alike. CLC’s web site is www.clcboats.com.
What's the Mill Creek?
The Mill Creek™ was designed as a wider, shorter, and more stable alternative to the typical sea kayak. It offers the stability sought by nature photographers, fly fishermen, and birders. The most versatile paddling designs in our lineup, the Mill Creeks™ are true high-performance boats. That is, if high performance is defined as comfort, good handling, rewarding speed, stability, and classic good looks. Originally drawn as stable and compact complements to our more traditional sea kayaks, the Mill Creeks™ have found fans among paddlers of all skill levels because they offer so much boat in such a light and easy-to-manage package.
Who's the 16.5 Model for?
The Mill Creek 16.5™ is enormously popular because it can be used in so many ways. Not only can you paddle it as a single or a double, but you can sail it, add a sliding-seat rowing unit, or even adapt an electric outboard. The Mill Creek 16.5's™ stability will reassure the most nervous paddlers, while the low freeboard and light weight yield better speed and handling in wind than the average canoe. There's enough capacity for camping gear (with optional deck hatches), and the boat can be easily trimmed by sliding the seats fore and aft on their mounts.
Why should I build a Kayak?
I’ve always enjoyed canoeing and kayaking, though never getting enough time to get out on the water since I didn’t own a boat. We have enjoyed camping and the outdoors and this fits in nicely with that. I’ve particularly been interested in kayaks for some time now. I’ve always enjoyed the feel of the kayak in the water. There are certainly no shortage of lakes and rivers in the area. I also live right next to Lake Michigan and know of several people who have been kayaking in the water there for years. That really appeals to me since it’s literally right in my back yard. I also wanted to make sure that I would get into this in such a way that my whole family could enjoy it also. Building a boat was the perfect fit for me. I’ve been doing lots of ‘do it yourself’ projects for years. I’ve done an extensive amount of refinishing and other related woodworking projects around the house. A neighbor of mine built two CLC’s so I got a chance to see them close up. That really set the plan in motion for me.
I have two children (ages 6 and 8) and wanted a kayak that I could use either by myself or with one of them. The Mill Creek is a hybrid that can be easily paddled either way. What is sacrificed in speed is made up with stability, flexibility and ease of use. I had targeted this model from the catalog and related research that I did. I attended a demo day that CLC had in Madison Wisconsin in September of 2007 where I tried out a Mill Creek before I bought it. This was really helpful and assured me that I made the correct choice.