: I'm am planning to build a 16 +/- hard-chine touring kayak. I have plenty of
: woodworking experience and woodworking tools and I am trying to decide how
: much extra time, effort and difficulty it is to build from plans versus a
: kit. The plywood and epoxy are available locally and it seems like a
: considerable cost saving to go with just the plans but if the time and
: accuracy becomes to much of a compromise I’d rather by a kit…. Any
: comments?

If you have the experience with a sabre saw to cut out the parts, and the space to work, go with plans. You'll be able to choose the type of wood you prefer, and that can greatly affect your cost. There is almost no difference in the difficulty of the project, but of course you will take up more time. How fast can you cut? You might save anywhere from 2 hours to 2 days by getting the kit. (The latter time would be if you messed up and had to run to the store for another sheet of plywood.)

If you are working from full size plans it will be faster than if you are working from measurements, or offsets. But again, if you are used to doing this work then the time difference is not great.

You WILL get a slightly bigger thrill out of doing it from plans.

Best of luck with your project.

PGJ