For anyone considering the idea of building a kayak this fall, winter or spring, please let me encourage you to do so. Ive found that nothing really defrosts those winter "blahs" like involving yourself in a kayak building project. I've noticed, in effect, I was working on the kayak as much as summer itself!! That said however, allow me to offer some good advice...

1. START NOW. While a kayak can be started on christmas day and be floating in spring, its far far better to begin in the fall - especially for a stripper. I made the terrific mistake of totally misjudging my time alotted on the construction and it cost me the whole summer!!! I started in the spring thinking i'd be done in June - and normally, this is totally possible depending on your constrcution method. As life is tho, sh-t happens, and well its september now. Doesnt matter if starting now means just gathering spruce strips or what - just start!!!

2. Winter is a good time to aquire all those nick nacks that make up your total kayaking package - compass, life vest, oars, gps, etc. Its a lot easier to aquire all these things over the course of the winter than a sudden purge of the checkbook in the spring. Its also fun, and again, hs a nifty way of assuring the promise of warmer days to come.

3. Allow yourself the whole winter to perfect your craft. Itll never be perfect, but itll be atleast pleasing to yourself. I'm a fanatical perfectionist so I regard perfection as something akin to the holy grail.
The bottomn line, you dont want to paddle a rushed "mistake" for the sake of timeliness. Its going to last a long time.

4.OK...say its spring, and you do find yourself behind scheduale. You want to go kayaking but you dont want to rush your quality control. So rent a kayak!! They'll temporarily satisfy your paddeling needs, while removing the panic element in the construction of your craft. Dont have any fear that you'll fall in love too much with the rented yak to not finish your own. Beleieve me, youll learn new appreciation for the kayak your building over the barge your renting. But itll atleast get you wet until your REAL kayak gets in the water.

5. If this is your first kayak project, your probably going to get a lot of ribbing form the wife. Atleast, I did anyway. While this has nothing to do with pushing back the winter blahs, it is very satisfying to smirk and sigh in a self important way when she begins to realize, this thing is actually turning into a kayak!!!

Pete