thanks, DB. i really appreciate the info. i hadn't noticed them much before but now that i've started looking at them, i'm seeing them all over the place. people must be pretty happy with them. i liked the dimensions of their boats - particularly since rough water seems to happen more often than not here in the great pac-nw. but i wasn't sure about the joint design. as someone who does that sort of thing for a living, i tend to over-analyze these things. thanks again....

S