I initiated my serious inquiry to buy my round butt bulbed bow steel trawler in Nassau formally the LADY BEA now Jolie after an educational experience off the West end of Grand Bahama--I wanted a storm boat. Making the run from Bimini to West End brought me into an storm with no place to safely anchor and no way to enter the harbor-then the abandoned Jack Tar, Lighting strikes were the only visability the waves from the Gulf stream breaking over the shallows the depth going from 200 feet to 12 feet in no distance. My 31ft sloop, kid and dog 35#cqr , 20 feet of chain and all 200 ft of 5/8 as the wves tumbled over us all night, serious chafe, the absolute now belief on a bow pulpit bail and a stern drouge deployed, we survived the night. As to Kayaks, love them, dirt dwelling on the Potomac George (worlds best urban whitewater) 110 miles upriver from the bay, 30 years experience, wouldn't think of cruising without one. Anyhow, see people using them cruising, newbies, Bright colors, bright colors, bright colors, Its amazing to come across what appears to be little biddy people, in channels, crowed harbors, in rent a kayaks, without a bright hunter orange hat on, stobe deployed, dark paddle blades-crossing my bow--dont buy a dark colored kayak. My sit on top Prion, 33 pounds, yellow , Solas tape, strobe attached, sits on the flybridge ready as a throwable lifesaving device, Sit in kayaks are thicker/heavier and fill with unbailable water if deployed this way, Kayaks are just another redundant system, Keep them light, bright and prepared, use the on a regular basis, and they can be a primary familuar saftey tool. Live and Learn Kevin Kearney Trawler Jolie --------------------------------- Blab-away for as little as 1"/min. Make PC-to-Phone Calls using Yahoo! Messenger with Voice.