Hey Travis are you looking for someone who built one of these.....
http://img13.imageshack.us/img13/882...handpaddle.jpg
Don't know of anyone around here .........except Hairy Mick and myself. :U
There are a few other aussies in the builders log section of the Jem site - John the Pom and Cridgie spring to mind - but I can't specifically remember any in Vic. Wouldn't be surprised if there are some though as this is a popular design.
This was my first build and apart from a fiasco in the hull glass layup (because I decided not to follow the instructions :doh:) it all went smoothly. The construction method is very forgiving and can give a strong lightweight hull if you pay attention to detail.
I would like to make 2 points from my experience -
1) - buy good quality ply. I bought cheap stuff and although I think I have a good boat I reckon it would have been even better if it was made of 3mm gaboon marine ply.
This photo shows the voids in the ply (in my finished kayak) that show up when I put a 120w floodlight inside the hull at night. The horizontal lines are joints but the smaller ones running vertically are voids in the ply.
http://img141.imageshack.us/img141/848/p4280525.jpg
The boat is still sound but I would feel better if these voids were not there.
2) Take great care in marking out the panels and USE THE QA DRAWINGS. If you take twice as long as you should then it is time well spent if it allows you to get this bit right. As I said earlier the method is forgiving but a big mistake will require rework/extra work or make an inferior boat. If the panels are right the rest will flow :cool:
Start builder's logs here and on Jem, update them often and you will have the support of dozens of experienced advisors - worth it's weight in gold but it's free!
Good luck with it, looking forward to following your progress.