Josh,
Sounds like a neat project. There are still plenty of us build your owns out there. My thought would be that you probobly don't need a single mentor but a bunch of experts and some library time. Boat building is filled with diffrent skills and it rare you find the whole kit and kaboodle in the same person.

Designing is one phase of boat building all its own. My suggestion would be jump on the designers BBS. Learn about the software available and start talking your trade offs. there is plenty of expertise there to help you with the design phase of your boat. Go to the white water trials and try diffrent boats out figure out what you want in a boat. Start by listing charactrestics move to sketches then put it in software designs.

Next I'd suggest after you have the design figure out how your going to build your plug. The form inside that you use to make the 3 dimensional shape of the boat. That is wood working. We would be willing to help you here on this board. Perhaps find a local WW in your area too. Shop teacher and if ya can't find someone to help out well just do it on moxy. Building a plug isn not much more then building a form and you can learn how to do that in books on this board etc.

After that its just laying up the F/G. and mating the deck and hull. Neither is rocket science. Nick Shade book will give ya that how too.

My thought is you probobly don't need a mentor. Its a nice to but not a have to. All you need is a place too build, some tools and someone to hang out with as you build.

Josh, I started out in boat building and restoration when I was 15. largely untutored and unmentored. Its great if ya can find a vetran boat builder, but if ya can't....Don't let it stop your decision to go off and try doing it any ways.
When I was your age... (damn I hated that phrase) I was busy learning by doing. I learned some from successes some from mistakes and lots from reading up and listening to any one that would teach me a skill.

However, I never found a mentor. What I did find was a friend, a series of them in fact. In H.S. it was a buddy named George who liked boats . We rehabed 2 canoes then built prams then yaks and eventually sail boats and a rehabed a old WWII costal defense motor yatch.

It was great hanging out building with a buddy. It gave both of us some one to talk out boat building problems with , a sounding board for ideas. etc. Also a friend. Josh I'm 40 now and its been that way pretty much ever since building boats with folks who want to build there toys rather then buy them.
in the processs making some cool friends.

My thought would be look around your world and find someone who thinks ita a cool idea to build your own WW yaks. Then decide to build two side by side. Don't look for a mentor or a skilled person. Look for someone who wants to do the same thing jsut for fun and learn something on the way. Passion for the project is all that is really necessary. Skills can be learned on the way.

Grab a camera take some pictures of your project, barrow some tools and if ya get stuck let us know we'll talk ya through the possible solutions.

Every thing you need to build the boat of your dreams is already in your heart and in your head. Its jsut a whole lot more fun to do it with a friend.

Good luck get started, In the end the best mentor you will ever have is your self. Sounds to me like you have what it takes so go take your idea and run with it!

Good luck post pictures

!RUSS