Right place Matthew!!

There are a few things we would need to know here and then a whole slew of folks are going to jump in and let you know what's out there and what might fit you best. Can you tell us:

How tall are you?

What do you weigh?

How big of Clods are you sporting?

Where would you be wanting to paddle? ( ie; lakes, ocean, rivers, white water or whatever else there may be out there that strikes your fancy )

What sort of building skills do you have?

And of course, to go along with that ??, do you have any tools? That may be a large factor in what type of craft you may be able to build.

And lest we forget, how would you be transporting this craft? ( might make a difference if you are luggin' it on your shoulders )

There are several kit manufacturers out there and prices vary, and some really great plans, so your particular budget may be a big consideration as well. You don't want to get 3/4 of the way through a project and have to quit do to lack of funds or inability to purchace some tool that you boat/work may require.

Another consideration might be space to build in. Patio, barn, garage or house?

If you could answer near all of these questions, I'm sure the folks out here can darn near put you in the perfect boat for you. Or..... at least offer you a bazillion options.

Where are you located? You may be living right next door to someone that's building a boat and don't even know it. I wouldn't worry too much about lacking skills as there have been many on this board who started, not having the slightest idea what they were doing or how to do it, but with a little guidance from the folks here and the instructions with their kits or some of the books out there, a lot of gorgeous boats have been built.

Welcome aboard! Hope to hear back from you soon. Although you might not get too many responses till Monday as lots of folks are going to be out paddling over the weekend ( or taking care of the long list of honey-do's that they had to promise in order to build that second or third boat ) and responses seem to drop off. Hang on to your britches though cause it'll start before you know it. Good Luck and have fun.

Rehd