Hi Alex,

I'm building the same kayak so I thought I'd add some thoughts.
I used White Pine for my gunwales and stringers. I chose pine because it's readily available in long clear lengths in my region (Illinois).

I used willow for my ribs... and it took some time to locate. But I can now locate it easily. The way to find it is to look for willow trees in an accessible field. What you want for rib stock are shoots which grow near the willow trees in large groups or "stands". You can spot them because they are grouped together usually in a wet area and they'll be very straight with very few branches and 6-8 feet tall. The bark will be greyish with some of the willow green color toward the base of the shoots. The tips will have redish buds on them. You want 3/8" shoots just like the book says. There is a definite learning curve to bending and fitting these things... be prepared to break quite a few in the beginning.

As far as tools - I'd recommend picking up a block plane, spokeshave, a Japanese pull saw, a 1" chisel, and maybe a gouge (for carving). This is a hand tool intensive project, and hand tools need to be SHARP... so a sharpening stone of some sort is a must.

Just a few things to get you started hopefully. I've run into some problems on this project, but you have to expect that you will. I've always found that the answers to the problems will come in time. The old boatbuilders used a "moaning chair" in their workshops... a place to sit and work through problems.

I'm almost done with my frame, after steaming the cockpit coaming - I'll be ready to skin. Good Luck in your efforts!