: I don't know that I would call that price ridiculous. When you consider that
: Pygmy and CLC kits are around $700 for the base kit and options (seats,
: hatches) run the price up even higher, Newfound's prices are not out of
: line given the additional cost of the milling the strips and creating
: forms for the deck.

CLC's prices include everything except finishing materials. Pygmy kits are more expensive since you have to add a hatch/bulkhead kit and a deck rigging kit, if you want these.

Considering that the Okoume that you don't use for the Merganser deck offsets the strips to some degree, it still seems to me that the Newfound kit is pretty pricy. Really, how complicated/expensive can the deck forms be, especially since they're CNC cut from particle board?

If you look at Newfound's strip boat kits, their "basic" kits are ~$1200 and their "full" kits (which include essential items missing from the basic kits) are upwards of~$1500. When I hear how cheaply people here are building their strip boats, these prices seem pretty outrageous. Even if you were to buy finished cove and bead strips, you could build a complete strip boat for under $800 in parts and materials, correct? At least stitch and glue kits are within $150-$200 of the cost of buying the materials and plans separately. It seems to me that a kit that costs twice the price of the materials is pretty expensive. Unless I'm missing something, you're essentially paying $700+ for forms, plans and packaging.

I'm sure that Newfound produces a high quality kit, but I just don't see how they can justify their prices. Not unless it includes someone to help you build it. ;-)