I'm a little slower than most on the board; I turn out about one boat a year. The Spring Run took 11 months to build, the Cape Charles went a lot faster, at maybe six months (it's been awhile). Starting from a kit will save you several hours too. I dont think five months, working at it a little each day, and 10-16 hours on the weekends, is unreasonable at all. Four is do-able, three is asking a lot, for a plywood boat.

The Walrus I'm currently working on would likely be all framed up in less than a month, if I were following directions. But no, I decided to strip it, so it's pretty slow going in between the other projects. I think, and perhaps others will concur, the Walrus is quite a bit faster to build than a stitch and glue boat.

: Hello all. I have very much enjoyed this terrific board and want to thank
: everybody in advance.

: Ok so here is my dilema. Ive got to buckle down in September and begin
: studying for a professional exam. I promised myself that after I finished
: college I would build myself a boat and I really really want to. The
: problem is now that Ive got the space (new porch) Im not sure if Ive got
: the time left. I was considering building a Walrus and have the terrific
: book by Putz. Being that I live in Arizona I fear for the safety of this
: boats hull in our lakes around here, lots of sharp rocks and submerged
: trees to mess it up. So today I was considering buying another book titled
: "The New Kayak Shop", which has plans for a stitch and glue type
: kayak that sounds pretty good.

: So I need honest opinions, how long does it take most people to build either
: of these boats while still holding down a job, family, and normal
: responsible guy type of obligations? Ive been dreaming about building a
: boat since about mid way through college and cant wait to begin. If it is
: imposible to complete such a project by September then I will wait so I
: can do it right. So I really do appreciate everybody's opinion.

: Thanks again to all who contribute to this terrific board.

: Kirk