: I'll check out the book, but I'm feeling pretty committed to starting out
: with a S&G before I attempt a strip. A strip just feels too ambitious to
: me. I'm also a tax accountant and the wedding is in the spring, which
: doesn't give me a lot of free time for building once tax season starts. I
: think I can get a stitch and glue done in time, but probably not a strip.

I believe the book in question is written by Gil Gilpatrick. Amazon has it, and you can check with your local library for interlibrary loan. I built a 14 1/2 foot canoe from his plans. (Puddleduck is the design). Great book, but I think you are right about not having enough time to do a strip-built canoe by spring.

Have you looked at Clark-Craft? (www.clarkcraft.com) They are a competitor to Glen-L. Their Niagara plywood canoe is available as a complete kit for $595, or plans only for $25. They have a bronze fastening kit for it for $37 which should cover all the hardware you'll need, and they have a fiberglass kit for covering the outside of the boat for $91, which includes resin and cloth.
This design is NOT stitch and glue, but has a similar simple plywood construction. It is built over a wood frame, which defines the shape of the plywood panels and provides an area to attach them. More wood, less fiberglass.

This URL takes you right to the description of this boat in a 17 foot length. Beam is 39 inches and max capacity is 900 pounds -- about typical for a 2-3 person boat. They list the weight of the boat at 70 pounds, which is typical for a boat of this type -- it certainly is not an ultralightweight! :

http://clarkcraft.com/cgi-local/shop.pl?type=item&categ=004&item=932749720&cart_id=fbca94aa608bad86defd908a515bb8ab

Other books to consider would be :

"Building Sweet Dream : An Ultralight Solo Canoe for Single & Double Paddle"
by Marc Pettingill I believe the biggest boat he has plans for can hold two people. (Check Amazon for info on availability of this)

A similar design and building concept is described in:

"Building the Six-Hour Canoe : Designed by Mike O'Brien"
by Richard Butz, John Montague (Illustrator), William Bartoo

This is a 15'3" canoe, which is about as small as you'ld want ot go for two adults. (but, then again, I did a week in the boundary waters with another paddler in my 14 1/2 foot canoe, and I'm on the much-larger-than-average size -- so I wouldn't rule out a 15+ foot boat for trips.)

Again, check amazon.com, or barnesandnoble.com for info on availability.

PGJ