I used Morris' book, Cunningham's articles, Boucher's videotape and Low's sewing instructions for my first boat. I picked up both of Petersen's books, "Skinboats of Greenland" and "Instructions in Kayak Building, and "The Little Kayak Books" before I built my second boat. I recently finished Mark Star's book and will buy Chris Cunninghams's when it comes out. Each of these sources contains variations on the same theme and reading them helps you to understand the process more fully. It also allows you to compare alternative methods for various steps in the process and decide what works best for you. I used a combination of techniques on both of my boats and will try some new things I've learned on the next one. That's one of the things that makes building these boats so much fun; you're constantly learning and refining the process.

Of the books currently on the market, Morris' and Star's are the most complete and geared toward the novice builder. I assume that Cunningham's will be, too. Petersen's books require a bit of interpretation, as not all of the steps are spelled out in detail. Boucher's video covers the process from end to end, but I found many of the techniques he uses to be a bit crude for my taste. Still, I'm glad I bought the tape.