DAVE-

Boy you struck a chord here. As you can tell by most of the responses so far (and I'm sure many more to come) that building a kayak is like a journey. It's not where you end up, but how you got there. Building a kayak is exilerating. It is an art, a craft , a hobby, a release, an escape. Sometime it also can be frustrating, nerve racking, inconvient, an obsession, and at times an addiction.

The pride that I will cherish for many years to come will EASILY out distance the afore mentioned downsides. But from what I expect to get out of it being a novice builder/kayaker, you will enjoy it half as much as the rest of uf builders. But that's me. If you don't feel those are emotions that you care to experience, then buy a plastic one and start enjoying your new sport immediately.

DAVE - The Kayakaholic