: I am considering building my first wood kayak. I live in Washington state.

Pgymy is a logical choice, but you have lots of options for building support if you decide to build a stripper. There are lots of folks on this board that live in Washington - you'll need to be a bit more specific.

If you're not in a huge hurry - don't start anything until after August 8-10. Mark that weekend now to visit R2K3 - the 5th annual Wood Kayak Rendezvous in Port Townsend. You'll have a chance to meet builders, paddle lots of different boats, ask tons of questions, and learn a lot from various demonstrations. It's valuable enough that I fly up every year from Phoenix to attend.

Joe doesn't have much info posted on his site yet for this year's Rendezvous, but does have pictures from the last couple years which can give you a flavor of the event.

jrs