As others have mentioned, it's hard to beat the price of wood. You're also more likely to be successful on your first outing.

If this is your first boat, as Tom Yost mentioned, go for a high probability of success. If this is a subsequent boat, then by all means go for it, and let us know how things turn out.

There's nothing wrong with trying to reinvent the wheel, but it's also nice to have a kayak to go out in and relax if one of your wheel experiments is a colossal failure.

I've had failures--not of a full boat, but lots of paddle experiments went flop. It was always nice to have a spare paddle to paddle home with, and to have backup paddles to go out and use while the glue is drying on the new one.

Building a Brinck baidarka or a Morris SOF, you could get on the water for $50-100. Get creative in scrounging materials.

Good luck!!!

Shawn

: I have seen a few websites with kayaks built out of PVC pipe but none have
: mentioned how the craft performed once they were in the water. Can someone
: out there comment on the performace of these crafts. My own research at
: the local lumber yard suggests that PVC might be a bit too flexible.

: However right next to the PVC electrical conduit are pieces of conduit made
: of galvanize steel. These are much less flexible and about the same weight
: and price. $2.00 per 10 foot section. I would like to know if anyone has
: any experience or opinion on the suitability of gavalnized steel
: electrical conduit.