Tom, first let me congratulate you on your thinking and ability to express yourself. You are wise beyond your years.

Now to building boats... The stitch and glue kits are a great way to make a very nice and functional boat quickly. Even with very little woodworking knowledge myself I did not find the project to be much of a learning challenge. The most complicated thing I had to do in building my Pygmy kit was to bevel an edge to 45 degrees. That is good for me because I have very little free time and wanted to get the boat done and on the water fast. If you go to the Pygmy website you can link to a site that shows the steps involved in making a stitch & Glue boat. I guy named Wayne documented the building of his boat very well. Only you can say how much of a challenge is enough for you. The Strip building method is more complicated and does take more time, but is more representative of what historic boat building is like. You build a form first and then the boat.

I would suggest a book for you to read prior to making your decision. Kayak Craft by Ted Moores. This book describes the building of strip built kayaks in great detail. It also has some sections on fiberglass layup and on application of varnish that will come in handy no matter what kind of boat you build. There are also countless good websites that have information on the history of Kayaks that may help in your learning process associated with this project.

If you decide to build a stitch and glue boat consider building from plans. This is cheaper and also requires that you learn how to plot out your panels from a table of offsets and cut out your own panels. Another good book is The Kayak Shop by Chris Kulczycki (founder of CLC) In that book you will find basic plans for a few different types of stitch & glue boats. (Best to pay for the full plans though)

The other option is skin on frame - George Putz wrote a book that gives you very good instructions on how to build a great boat called the Walrus in his book. You can search this site to find pictures of the Walrus and lots of advice on the building process. There is lots of history behind that design also.

Good luck to you what ever you do.

Mike
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Let me give a little background before I ask the question. I am a 17 year old
: Scout from PA. Senior Patrol Leader, etc, etc. I am currently in the
: planning stages for a graduation project that I need to do to complete
: High School. One thing that scouting has taught me is a love for boating,
: and being on the water. I had the chance to try out Kayaks about 2 years
: ago, fell in love, and have rented, etc, every chance I have gotten. For
: this project, I need to "Learn" a large amount, to satisfy the
: requirements. ALthough I already have a decent knowledge of water, from
: experience in Canoes, Rafts, Rowboats, sailboats, and others, I have never
: had much in terms of builing or woodworking. This is where I decided that
: it would be great to build my own kayak. It's also something my dad has
: always wanted to do, so I have support from family as well.
: So the Question becomes: after looking at Guillemot, Chespeake Light Craft,
: Pygmy's and more, I am still not sure as to what would be a decent
: beginning craft. Was looking for a sew and stich, and the first that
: appealed was the Chesapeake 17, but I obviously do not have enough
: experience to make a proper judgement. I need something that will provide
: a large challenge, but at the same time also be possible to build. I was
: hoping that if anyone has any ideas on this issue, they could either post
: here, or e-mail me.

: Thanks,
: Tom.