Lowell. Strip takes longer and requires a little more woodworking skill. But my first boat was a stripper. My brothers both started with S&G.

If you are the mechanical type with decent woodworking skills, i would say pick the boat/design you like best and don't worry about the strip vs S&G choice. But if you are a novice woodworker, and don't feel comfortable with long projects yet, start with a S&G, and move "up" to a stripper next year.

good luck.