These are all good points, and are why I'm building my second kayak straight from a set of plans. That being said, for me the kit was a great way to get started with my first build. It provided two things that made it worth while for me...

The first was all the prepared materials. The station forms were pre-cut, strips pre-milled, and coaming wall pre-laminated. This greatly reduced the complexity of getting started and helped minimize the tools I needed. It's not for everyone, but it worked for me.

The second thing the kit provided (at least the kit from Redfish - I can't speak to the others) was detailed instructions outlining each step. Again, this isn't something that I would use now but for a first build, it was invaluable in reassuring me when making critical decisions. Sure, I could have got by without it, but it definitely helped a lot.

In either case you'll end up with a great boat. It's just a question of how you want to get there. Good luck!

-C

PS - I would also recommend Noah's for materials. Good selection and great customer support.

: Etienne Muller has a good point. I too just built my S&G and two strippers
: from plans. When I looked at kits they seemed to include some things I
: didn't want to pay for and lacked things I would have ended up having to
: add into the cost. I had a lot more freedom to personalize the boats doing
: it that way. I was able to get virtually everything I needed in Canada and
: the few things I had to import were small enough to get in duty and
: hassle-free via mail (no brokerage fees if it comes by postal service).
: If you are set on working from a kit you could look at kits available from
: Noah's Marine in Toronto.

: Ric