Hey, thanks to all of you for all the good and solid advice and encouragement.

At this point I'm just trying to figure out what I want to build. Well, actually, I can think of a lot of boats I WANT to build, it's really more a matter of deciding what to build FIRST. I bought myself a little plastic recreational kayak last summer, and had a ball with it. So did my kids. I've always loved boats, but until I had one of my own, I didn't realize that I NEED boat(s). ;-) Anyhow, two of the kids actually fit in the cockpit with me, so when I take them camping, we can go out on the boat. Now, when number three gets old enough to camp with Daddy and the "big kids", we're gonna need a bigger boat. So, that's what got me thinking of a cedar-strip canoe, especially when I saw the 80-hour figure, which is comparable to the time I'm told it would take me to build the S&G CLC West River 180 - which is another project I want to do, and was originally what I though I'd do first. Then, as an alternative to a canoe, I want to take a look at the CLC Annapolis Wherry, which is a fast rowing boat, but looks to have the capacity for passengers that I want, if it's stable enough. I don't want to capsize the first time one of the kids leans over the edge trying to catch a turtle (by the time I'm taking three with me, their ages will be 7, 5, and 3. At those ages, they wiggle around some). Oh yeah - and did I mention I want a sailboat too? I'd consider that as a first project, except I want something I can put on top of the van by myself. And ya know what my wife wants? A kitchen floor. So, I promised her she'd get her floor first. That was another reason the strip building caught my attention. Come March, if I can't afford to put $1000 into a kayak (or Wherry?) kit and a few tools, maybe I could at least afford to buy enough materials to begin work on a stripper canoe. Then again, some of you point out that canoe building can cost me $1000 or more. That's more than I expected. Heck, it's just lumber (lots of it - and good lumber, too - plus fiberglass, plus epoxy - I guess I can see how it adds up.) Well, at least I can spread it out.

Decisions, decisions...