I'm thinking about building a kayak for myself and am just starting to look into it. My problem is I'm a big guy-and I worry if something built of red cedar would support me when standing up and if I used other wood or re enforced it somehow by making it thicker, etc, then it would be too heavy for me to carry and get all dinged up when using it if too heavy. Good is the strength on the bottom where I'd stand is needed-I am 6'5 and 425. I want to make a fairly long and wide one as I want to float high in the water and have good stability for fishing and I have a high center of gravity due to my height and size, so I flip over easily on the kayak I purchased (bought a 2 person one and moved seat to middle). But the one I bought has a very round hull and will never be stable enough for me to hook and fight a large fish here in Edgewater FL where big redfish and tarpon, sharks are fairly common. I am thinking of trying some home built sponsons or pontoons to stabilize my existing 14' 2 person conversion to get by until I can build the one I really want.
I would want an open cockpit design, not the hole you slide into, so I can have my gear and a cooler with me, much like a canoe but I want to not draw a lot of water as it is very shallow in many areas here, and I want good stability for rougher water or when moving around, setting hook, fighting and releasing fish.
Ideas from all are appreciated-thanks!