All Water Seventeen

The longest and slimmest All Water kayak, 17 ft by 22 in, pitched by Ashes as a recreational sea kayak for paddlers who want to go some distance. Her asymmetric hull lets her track without a skeg or rudder, and she combines central chines, which carve a clean turn when the boat is leaned, with flattish midsections that give a newer paddler some initial stability.

She is strip built in cedar from plans that include all dimensions, lines and full size templates, but no step by step directions; Ashes again points first timers to Ted Moores' Kayak Craft and to online tutorials. The turn of the deck and the chines make for some awkward strip work, and the designer warns a first builder to expect a mistake or two. For a smaller paddler or calmer water, the All Water Fifteen and Thirteen use the same approach in shorter hulls.