: Decisions, decisions...

Hi Peter, I know what you mean. There are so many nice designs out there. I had a somewhat similar dilemma. One wife/two kids/single kayak. I almost built a canoe but, frankly, I can't really get comfortable in a canoe. So, I built a double kayak instead. I came close to making it a 3-hole (triple) and then finally settled on building it as a double-paddle canoe; you sit in it like a kayak but the deck is open like a canoe. One way to go anyway.

In terms of cost. Some of that depends on your geographic location and the wood you're using. I got most of my WRC in Redmond WA for under $200. There are some up-front costs to get started but I bought most of the supplies as I went $50 here, $25 there, etc. What you need is to fall in love with a design and then purchase plans. Once you do that, a "Force" will guide the project to completion One boat that came to mind was the CLC Sassafras (below).

- Chip
http://www.nwlink.com/~chips