Hi John,

You have to glue the strips together, and most glues have a range of temperatures they will work well in. The Titebond wood glues run from 47 to 55 degrees fahrenheit. Ultimately the strength of the boat will come from the epoxy and fiberglass, so as long as the glue sets long enough to hold everything together for planing prior to the epoxy stage. Most epoxies require warm temps, ideally around 70 degrees fahrenheit, though you can probably go as low as 60 and as high as 90. Depending on where you live, you can get the strongback and forms built and get started on the stripping before the temperatures drop too much. Then resume in the Spring.

Boat choice is pretty personal. If you become a boat-building fool like myself, each project teaches you something. After you build the first, you can plan which boat you want to build next. When the garage gets full you can start selling boats off. On the other hand, if you think this will be a one-off project, best to take the time to paddle the boat you want to build.

Enjoy!
james